Los Angeles County Targets Anti-Smoking Campaign at Gays, Lesbians
Los Angeles County officials on Thursday launched a new campaign encouraging gays and lesbians to quit smoking, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.
The campaign, called "Last Drag," will include smoking-cessation programs aimed at gay men at three local health organizations with plans to start a similar program for lesbians next year. The campaign also will include print ads in magazines targeting gays and antismoking outreach efforts in gay bars and clubs.
Jonathan Fielding, director of the county Department of Public Health, said that the campaign will have a $30,000 budget but will be linked to other anti-smoking efforts.
The plan comes in response to a Department of Health Services study released in September that found 30.4% of the state's gay community smokes, almost double that of the general population (Wides, AP/San Jose Mercury News, 10/27).