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With nearly one million adult smokers in New York City, 58,000 are Staten Islanders, which 16.5 percent of the borough's population.

(AP Photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Islanders lead the pack when it comes to smokers in New York City.

With nearly one million adult smokers in New York City, 58,000 are Staten Islanders, which amounts to 16.5 percent of the borough's population.

And if you're one of these smokers, the city Health Department wants to help you quit.

The ninth annual nicotine patch and gum "giveaway" program, run by the Health Department in partnership with the New York State Smokers' Quitline, was launched on Tuesday and runs through April 1.

"There are many reasons to quit smoking that benefit the health of both yourself and your loved ones," said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett.

"We know that most smokers want to quit and there is no better time to start than now. We encourage every New Yorker who wants to quit smoking to take advantage of our nicotine patch and gum program."

Since the nicotine patch and gum program began in 2006, it has helped almost 300,000 adult New Yorkers quit smoking and contributed to the city's multi-pronged effort to reduce the prevalence of adult smoking to 15.5 percent and youth smoking to 8.5 percent, according to the Health Department.

While the Health Department couldn't provide statistics for how many Islanders have quit through the program, the agency reports that there are 91,000 former smokers, which adds up to 24.9 percent of the borough's population.

Cigarettes are the only consumer products that, when used exactly as intended, kill up to one-third of regular users. By making the decision to quit, the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, cancers and many other illnesses are greatly reduced.

To coincide with the patch and gum giveaway, the Health Department will run a series of powerful ads on television featuring Marie, a New Yorker who began smoking in high school. In her early 40s, Marie was diagnosed with a disease caused by smoking that, over time, led to amputations of her foot, leg, and some fingers.

She has been smoke-free since 2006 when she called 311 for help to quit, and has become a national spokesperson for quitting smoking.

According to the Health Department, most smokers start using tobacco as youth or young adults.

In New York City, 80 percent of smokers started smoking before they turned 21 years old. About 19,000 New York City public high school students currently smoke.

Research shows that people who begin smoking at an early age are more likely to develop a severe addiction to nicotine than those that start at a later age.

To help keep youth from ever starting a deadly smoking habit, on October 30, 2013, the New York City Council passed legislation making New York City the first major city in the United States to raise the minimum sale age for tobacco products from 18 to 21 years old.

Implementation of this law is set to take effect May 18.