It appears that Washington DC has started up a recent program set to cost $977,346 that will provide smokers with BlackBerry Smartphones (CNN - I forgive you for writing "BlackBerries" and not "BlackBerry Smartphones") in hopes of helping them quit. The plan is run by the American Legacy foundation, and the idea behind it is that smokers will have a 24/7 line to get support while trying to quit. Their BlackBerry will give them 24/7 text support, help connect with others who are trying to quit and options to help prevent relapse. We're not 100% sure if the devices will carry any special applications to aid in this process, or if they are just bare-bones devices. Check out the video above for the full details (shoutout to the hardcore guy still rocking the 7130e in the video) . What are your thoughts on this? Will having a BlackBerry help you quit smoking? Leave a comment and let us know! Thanks to Brian for sending this in!
Stimulus Program Provides Free BlackBerry Smartphones to Help Quit Smoking
on 12 Feb 2010 11:40 AM60 Comments
I was just about to send this in to y'all and complain about the "berries" part. Good catch.
Hey, what do ya know a government in debt with no way out finds a way to give away more free stuff. Who thinks of these crap programs anyway?
I don't smoke, but I am addicted to caffeine - can I get a car?
Owning my BlackBerry Storm 2 has cut me down to just 2 packs a day!
Are you sh**in' me?!!
I was sittin' here just last night thinking, what other useless program could our government possibly throw China's money at?
I never thought of this! WOW! They're smart!
I want my tax money back! i want a responsible government instead of thie handout-in-chief and his band of frigging idiots that we have now. what a joke.
Aren't they concerned about replacing one addiction with another? And what if it doesn't work and they are addicted to both smoking and CrackBerry?
I can get a blackberry to help me curb my appetite lol
If you watch the video, they state that they are using the money that was won against a Tobacco lawsuit. At least they put it back into helping smokers.
Like, for example, the new Rest Areas in IL a couple years ago. That's where that money came from. That lawsuit was won, and the proceeds divied out and pissed away long ago. They're just using that line as a pacifier, hoping no one looks it up.
Lung cancer is a major killer but all we hear about nowadays are breast & prostate cancer - both of which have much higher remission rates than lung cancer.
One addiction to another...
Why not just a bb app with a lit cigarette on it.....
I may be a smoker, and a Canadian. But this idea disgusts me. As a smoker I know it is my responsibility to quit. It's NOT my governments responsibility, or my fellow taxpayers. If someone enters into an addictive habit, why is everyone elses duty to help them. We do it to ourselves, and should be able to correct it ourselves as well. Or die trying.
I know you have to be a US born citizen, but I might waive that in exchange for this type of logic on capitol hill.
I'd like to apologize to all other countries for how we must look right now. It's humiliating.
Doesn't seem to have helped the President himself too much, he has/had a Blackberry Smartphone, and still smokes/smoked...
Even more amazing is how the guy at CNN touts the ONE job created for the $1 million as a positive thing. Give me a million and I'd give someone a job...
By the way, it's amazing that we have a program like this while we are cutting Medicare by 21% in March...great choice.
Saw this at lunch yesterday and thought to myself......never mind this is not a political forum.
Your government at work. Do they actually pay someone to think about how they can spend every cent this country has/doesn't have?
I am going to start smoking so I can get a free berry
I'll smoke to that.
Lol! What a great way to get an upgrade, assuming you only fake the smoking.
I quit last year. Where's my free phone?
paying for the data package as well? You know a Crackberry without a data connection can be stressful and we all know what excessive stress can lead to....
Snoball- you have to start back up and then you can get one to quit. I don't think it will be retroactive. Oh -but wait- I am forgetting it's our government........maybe you will qualify. lol
I also quit last year, but may start again if they'll give me a 9700....
i need a new house to help with my porn addiction.
What a f****** waste of my money.
I wonder how many losers, who can't (or don't want to) afford a smartphone will be trying to get one of these free BlackBerrys just to claim they want to quit smoking.
And how many will try by claiming they are smokers who want to quit, when in fact they may not be smokers at all.
More free handouts to losers. More wellfare. More wellfare fraud. Pay higher taxes.
You guys are all some cynical jerks. BlackBerry has the power to do anything. Period.
i quit smoking!!! Thats right, im not smoking from one week and dont need any app's or any other help. It was spontanic decision bout 6AM when i woke up and smoke first cigarett early morning. After that i decide, NO MORE SMOKING, NO MORE CIGARETTES! Its costs too much and its bad for health :)
Now i save $6 every day (2 box'es of cigarettes) and ~ $180 per month.
i know what ya mean, i quit the tuesday b4 new years, just decided there and then to quit, no help, no patches or stuff, just pure will power :)
is it ironic people may start smoking to get a blackberry?
I've never smoked and I don't need the government to buy my cell phone! Ah...more of MY money going to "help" others. Give me a break. Kicking smokers in the face with a golf shoe would help them quit sooner (and it's cheaper). Another stupid idea by the man you* voted into office! * you know who you are
New idea...Provide the number and if smokers "need" to quit, they'll use it. If they can afford cigarettes, they can afford to quit smoking (and buy their own cell phone!!) I'm just going to walk away now...We're dumb (at least the ones in charge are)!
Another stupid waste of our tax money. No wonder our country is in such a bad state. Vote these guys out of office.
the government can spy on us during our internet use so if your reading this gov't-stop spending money on stupid junk like this!
One job created? WTF?
And, as much of an addict as I am, how is my BlackBerry going to help me quit smoking...I mean BB addict, what? They're just CHANGING the addiction? Are you kidding me!?
Does the US Government even know that RIM is a Canadian company? Who do they want to stimulate?
I guess it beats the "Guns to Stop Smoking Crack" campaign they tried in Detroit...???
I expected something like this to happen . Its the only thing republicans wants to approve instead of rejecting everything.
First off this wasn't a bill passed through the House or the Senate. This is a program started with taxpayer money(stimulus money) by the ultra liberal American Legacy Foundation also known as ALF. Second, you should be happy that your getting a handout, I'm sure your all about that.
I love how everyone has become so anti-smoking! I have been smoking for a while now and I know the risks. I also know the risks of running into a burning building or getting on a motorcycle or jumping out of a plane, guess what I do all that too. I will stop when and if I want to. I worked to get my BB 9700 and I worked to get my house and car and boat, never needed or wanted a stimulus and am extremely sick of giving them! Leave the smokers alone leyt us smoke and stay off our backs about it. It is as simple as that. Offering all this free crap just makes americans as a whole lazier by the day. If u get everything free why get a job?!?
note to people trying to quit: don't use patches/gum etc. you know why? you get hooked on those. do you really think the companies are trying to help you? no, they want your money. and they know you will fail and fail and fail.
i smoked for 4 years, pack a day. sure it's not much but i was able to quit on my own cold turkey. if you can last ~two weeks it gets MUCH easier. time flies and now i have 6 months without a cig. all my friends smoke and i'm totally fine.
i wish you the best of luck, don't give your money to those bastards.
If this is true, it has got to be the dumbest damn thing i have ever heard of!!! I hope people take advantage of it though as much as possible! Take the FREE BLACKBERRY AND SELL THEM TO YOUR FRIENDS!!! LOL!!!!!
What a bunch of pantywaist DUMB A**ES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is everyone in this site a right-wing fanatic. You are always complaining about "The Man" in charge, yet NEVER offer a solution. You TeaBaggers out there are fools! Go tea-bag your moms and dads, you Glenn Beck worshipers!
Did you have a comment about the blog post or did you even read it? You dumbacrats get so offended at any oppossing point of view that you resort to childish name calling instead of arguing your own point of view. Is that because you have no argument or point of view or because you haven't logged onto mediamatters.org yet to see what your supposed to think today?
Sorry to be the one to shed light on the situation to all the cynics out there but most people have a lot of trouble trying to quit on their own and they need help. Do you want to know why the government has their hand in trying to curb this tobacco addiction? It is because smoking is the leading cause of cancer and it costs billions to research and treat. So if your level of intelligence is so low to understand that a $1M plan attempts to chip away at the cost of billions, then it was no need to explain any of this to you in the first place.
Instead of using the common sense that you should have or doing a bit of research before you speak, you would just rather bash Obama because you don't like him. I don't trust most politicians anyway, but at least do some research because you make yourself look like a fool. The program may or may not work, but at least the government didn't sit on their asses. They are attempting to address a costly problem.
Instead of blindly rushing to defend Obama, maybe you should use some common sense to think: "Sure, it's great to try and prevent cancer..but is spending 1 million dollars giving cell phones to people the way to do it?"
Is there any research to show that this will have ANY impact at all on anything other than our wallets?
"The program may or may not work, but at least the government didn't sit on their asses..."
See, that's the same kind of thinking that has us trillions in debt. The government didn't sit on their asses, they spent our money. And it didn't work. And I expect the majority of Americans feel that way and will show it in the elections this year and in 2012.
In the interest of full disclosure, I'm a BlackBerry owner and former smoker. I quit without the benefit of a government handout.
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