DPH Celebrates 20 Years of Helping People Kick Nicotine
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 10, 2026
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is celebrating 20 years of the SC Tobacco Quitline, which has helped nearly 300,000 South Carolinians quit nicotine successfully since 2006.
The SC Tobacco Quitline (1-800-QUIT-NOW) provides free, 24/7 quit support to residents of South Carolina regardless of health insurance coverage.
Helping people quit tobacco and nicotine products is a cornerstone of state-based tobacco prevention and control efforts. DPH launched the SC Tobacco Quitline in August 2006 to support South Carolinians on their quit journey with free expert coaching, free nicotine replacement therapy and 24/7 access to science-based quit strategies. Services are available in multiple languages, and extra support is available for people with mental and/or behavioral health conditions and pregnant women.
The availability of SC Tobacco Quitline services for two decades reflects DPH’s long-standing commitment to reducing the impact of tobacco and nicotine addiction in communities across the state.
"Using proven strategies to reduce tobacco use is essential for the health of South Carolinians," said Dr. Katy Wynne, DPH tobacco cessation manager. "Clean air free from secondhand smoke and vaping aerosol, free quit support options, and focused prevention efforts to discourage youth from using tobacco/nicotine products are necessary components for both healthy families and healthy communities."
The use of tobacco and nicotine products causes or worsens numerous chronic conditions, including cancer, diabetes, heart disease, asthma, stroke, and heart attack, as well as birth complications/defects and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
For more than 20 years, DPH’s Tobacco Unit has led coordinated tobacco prevention and control efforts alongside community partners. In addition to the SC Tobacco Quitline, other important Tobacco Unit successes include protecting more than 62% of residents in South Carolina cities and towns from secondhand smoke and vaping aerosol, increasing awareness about the harms of tobacco/nicotine use through targeted media efforts, and assisting South Carolina schools in implementing 100% comprehensive tobacco-free policies, which protect nearly 750,000 kids from exposure to tobacco use at school.
Despite this progress, data from the 2024 SC Adult Tobacco Survey show that adult smoking and vaping rates have increased across nearly every measured demographic group. Rising rates were observed among men and women, across multiple age groups, racial and ethnic communities, and income and education levels.
This upward trend in tobacco use comes at a time when commercial tobacco products such as oral nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes/vapes, and cigarettes are evolving in ways that appeal to both youth and adults. Smoke-free/tobacco-free protections, awareness about harms of tobacco use, and science-based quit support from services like the SC Tobacco Quitline remain some of the most effective tools for reducing the toll of tobacco in our communities.
South Carolina spends $2.2 billion each year in direct tobacco-related healthcare costs and smoking kills 7,200 South Carolina adults each year.
If you are ready to try quitting, call the SC Tobacco Quitline 24/7 at 1-800-QUIT-NOW, text ‘READY’ to 34191, or visit www.quitnowsc.org for free support. For more tobacco cessation information, visit dph.sc.gov/tobacco.
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