QUEENS COLLEGE GOES TOBACCO FREE

On January 1, 2012, Queens College joined the Healthy CUNY Tobacco Free Initiative​ and became a completely tobacco-free campus.

Smokers can still smoke outside the campus, but we ask everyone to be especially careful to avoid campus entryways. Secondhand smoke can adversely affect fellow students or staff, particularly those with pulmonary disease.

Health Benefits of Quitting

  • 20 minutes – Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
  • 12 hours – The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
  • 2 weeks to 3 months – Circulation improves and lung function increases.
  • 1 to 9 months after quitting – Coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
  • 1 year after quitting – Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker.
  • 5 years after quitting – Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half. Cervical cancer risk falls to that of a nonsmoker. Stroke risk can fall to that of a nonsmoker after 2 to 5 years.
  • 10 years after quitting – Risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who is still smoking. The risk of cancer of the larynx and pancreas decreases.
  • 15 years after quitting – Risk of coronary heart disease is back to that of a nonsmoker’s.

Quit to s​ave – A pack of cigarettes costs more than $11 in New York City. Smoking a pack a day costs more than $4,000 per year.  Quitting smoking can save your life and money.

Smoking Cessation Resources from Health Services

  • Individual/group cessation counseling
  • NRT (Nicotine replacement therapy)
  • Evaluation and referrals

For more information, call Queens College Health Services at 718-997-2760 or walk in to Frese Hall Room 310 from 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Thursday, when classes are in session.

The following organizations offer information and/or support for quitting smoking: