Program reportedly gets thousands off cigarettes

ATLANTA - About 4,000 people have quit smoking with the help of a state program paid for with tobacco settlement money, organizers of the service said. <br> <br> That figure is based on a survey of 500 people six months after they contacted the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line. About 21 percent said they had not smoked for at least a month after quitting with the help of the phone line, which started in November 2001. The line has so far drawn 19,000 callers. <br> <br> ``These numbers look very good when you consider that it&#39;s very difficult to quit smoking,&#39;&#39; said Kristen Copes, director of Unite Georgia, which runs the phone line. ``The more times someone tries to quit, the more likely they are to be successful. Even if some of these people relapse, they&#39;ll probably do better next time.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The state has spent more than $4 million of its tobacco settlement money to advertise and operate the phone line. The state expects to receive $4.8 billion over 20 years from the settlement for a variety of uses. <br> <br> Unite Georgia&#39;s survey found that people who tried nicotine gum, patches or the drug Zyban along with phone counseling were most likely to succeed, Copes said. <br> <br>

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