"Dale Leach II started smoking 21 years ago, when he was 15.

He quit twice -- once for a year in 1989 and then for two years in 2005.

But being around smokers always led him back.

"You smell the smoke, and you start getting the cravings," said Leach, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. "I don't think I could just stop now like I used to be able to."

He might not have to.

The University of Kansas Medical Center is offering an eight-week smoking cessation program in Lincoln and Omaha for Native people. In Lincoln, as many as 32 will be able to participate."

Get the Story:
Kevin Abourezk: Smoking cessation program tailored to Natives (The Lincoln Journal Star 12/5)