CDC: Most Smokers Want to Stop

Even though most smokers want to put the light out on the cigarette habit, few do, according to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The report, which was released Thursday and surveyed about 27,000 adults, found that 68.8 percent of smokers across the U.S. have admitted that they want to quit and 52.4 percent of them tried to quit within the past year, but only about 6 percent were successful.

CDC Director Thomas Frieden in a statement following the study's release offered advice on how to make quitting easier. Just under 20 percent of adults in the U.S. smoke.

"Smokers who try to quit can double or triple their chances by getting counseling, medicine, or both," he said. "Other measures of increasing the likelihood that smokers will quit as they want to include hard–hitting media campaigns, 100 percent smoke–free policies, and higher tobacco prices."

Here in Hermosa Beach, the City Council in October decided to cut back the number of . Starting March 1, smoking in outdoor dining areas, Pier Plaza, all city parks, , the Strand, and public parking lots will be against the law.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and disease nationwide, according to the CDC, which also reports that smoking and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke kill about 443,000 Americans each year.

The CDC report included a toll-free telephone help line that smokers can call for free resources and help to quit, the number is 800-QUIT-NOW. Additional support is available online.