NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) – New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley on Wednesday launched Reverse the Damage, a new education campaign that focus on the benefits of quitting smoking and the consequences of continued smoking, the Office of the Mayor announced.

The new campaign features stark images of lung cancer and heart attacks, in order to remain smokers of the fatal consequences of continuing to smoke.

The Mayor started the annual nicotine patch and gum giveaway program, to further encourage quitting smoking. It will run from March 10 through March 25. Since 2003, more than 200,000 New York smokers have received nicotine patches and gum. It is estimated that 70,000 of them have quit. In 2009, 28,000 smokers accepted the annual program.

“We have reduced the number of adult smokers by 350,000, prevented tens of thousands of premature deaths, and New York City’s smoking rate is now lower than at any time since we began keeping statistics on smoking more than 60 years ago. It’s never too late to quit smoking, and we want to help smokers does just that,” Mayor Bloomberg said.

“This year, cigarettes will kill more than 7,500 New Yorkers. Thousands more will suffer smoking-induced strokes, heart attacks, debilitating lung diseases and cancers. Now is the time to start reversing the damage,” said Dr. Farley.

The anti-smoking campaign will feature advertisements in both English and Spanish languages as well as radio promotion, online banners and bus and subway print advertisements.