Forget personal goals, willpower or resolutions -- Kentucky health officials are employing a more tangible incentive in their anti-tobacco campaign. The statewide Bluegrass Quit and Win 2001 contest is offering cold, hard cash to anyone 18 or older who quits smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes, or using smokeless tobacco. At stake is a $2,500 grand prize or one of five $500 runner-up prizes. According to federal figures, 29.7 percent of Kentucky adults smoke. "We'll do anything we can do to help those numbers go down," said Todd Warnick, smoking-cessation director for Fayette County. Two-pack-a-day smoker Jamie Brown, 26, who picked up his first cigarette at 14, thinks it's a good idea but adds, "I'm sure I'd have to work up to quitting altogether before the start date."
Quit and Win
Forget personal goals, willpower or resolutions -- Kentucky health officials are employing a more tangible incentive in their anti-tobacco campaign. The statewide Bluegrass Quit and Win 2001 contest is offering cold, hard cash to anyone 18 or older who quits smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes, or using smokeless tobacco. At stake is a $2,500 grand prize or one of five $500 runner-up prizes. According to federal figures, 29.7 percent of Kentucky adults smoke. "We'll do anything we can do to help those numbers go down," said Todd Warnick, smoking-cessation director for Fayette County. Two-pack-a-day smoker Jamie Brown, 26, who picked up his first cigarette at 14, thinks it's a good idea but adds, "I'm sure I'd have to work up to quitting altogether before the start date."
