In that spirit, in 2004, the company launched QuitAssist, a free information resource and program designed to help people who have decided to quit smoking and are struggling to break their addiction to tobacco products. The initiative provides grants to fund smoking cessation programs, plus other Web-based tools to help rid users of the costly addiction.

Altria also funded a $15 million, three-year grant to Duke University that same year, charging the institution with researching and developing new methods that could enable consumers to kick their habits. Over the succeeding three years, Duke conducted clinical trials and designed methods for effectively freeing smokers of nicotine addiction. In 2007, the grant was renewed for a further three years, in hopes of identifying additional quitting methods.

Through the initial grant, the Duke Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research (CNSCR) was established. The center works to provide funding for smoking cessation research, ranging from laboratory investigations to clinical practice. The CNSCR is a multidisciplinary, multi-site center working to elucidate the biological mechanisms underlying tobacco addiction, and to promote the development of more effective smoking cessation treatments. Although Altria indeed awarded the grant, the company wields no control over the center’s direction, or influence in its research results.

Some of the benefits of quitting smoking include living healthier and reducing the chances of a heart attack, cancer or emphysema; saving money, increased energy and eliminating the harm done inhaling second-hand smoke. Citing these benefits, and others, Altria basically funded potential solutions for consumers seriously seeking to conquer a smoking problem.

QuitAssist’s wealth of resources include a free, 48-page guide with tips on how to quit, plus success stories on quitting. The QuitAssist booklet provides tips including the benefits of quitting, how to stay smoke-free, the skills needed to quit and medications that may help. It also lists resources from various public health agencies.

For more information on QuitAssist, visit Altria’s Web site at: www.philipmorrisusa.com.