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Health Care Costs from Smoking Are a Drag
Cutting back on smoking could reduce U.S. health care spending by nearly $100 billion a year, thanks to the reduction in costly tobacco-related maladies, reports the Associated Press. The Congressional Budget Office expects the Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1256) to cut the use of tobacco products among underage users by 11 percent and reduce the population of adult tobacco users by 2 percent by 2019.
The bill would provide the Food and Drug Administration with unprecedented control over the tobacco industry. This act allows FDA to require full disclosure of ingredient lists and to order tobacco companies to reduce the amount of harmful ingredients in their products. It would also change warning label content and increase label size, as well as ban marketing to minors. The Secretary of Health and Human Services reserves the authority to mandate additional changes to warning labels that benefit public health. The legislation also prohibits labeling cigarette packets with phrases like “light” and “low tar,” which are often deceiving to consumers and mask the health risks. It would also forbid the sale of most flavored cigarettes.
For the moment, cigarettes remain unregulated drug delivery systems. Here’s a look at some of the most recent data on national smoking trends:
19.8 percent of adults in the United States (43.4 million people) were current smokers in 2007.
30 percent of all cancer deaths involve smoking as the primary cause.
443,000 people died prematurely every year as a result of smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke during the period between 2000 and 2004.
During that same period, smoking caused $98 billion in productivity losses each year.
For every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, 20 more people suffer with at least one serious illness from smoking.
20 percent of high school students were smokers in 2007.
3,600 people between the ages of 12 and 17 pick up smoking everyday.
Image: flickr user Sami__
Comments on this article
It should be clarified that there no evidence that cigars pose any of these threats. Please be careful in these types of articles to specifically state “cigarette smoking” vs. “smoking” and “cigarettes” vs. “tobacco”. This will prevent any confusion in readers over what the source of the problem is and help mitigate collateral damage to cigar smokers – who are innocent in this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar#Health_effects
June 11th, 2009 at 2:13 pmThe government needs to look at itself long and hard in the eye. What justification is there to continue the present day smoking laws? Age of consent should be raised and money spent on educating the young not to take on the habit.
June 26th, 2009 at 7:28 amJust want to respond to Kevin. Cigars still omit passive smoke to those around them. this is equally or even more dangerous than to inhale the smoke actively.
June 26th, 2009 at 7:30 amObesity and Diabetes cost more in Healthcare than smoking or tobacco related healthcare per year. The government should read their own statistics as should the healthcare industry. Education about both problems is a must and costs less than overtaxing private industries. Is it fair to increase the taxes on tobacco products and not sugar and junk food? Outright Prohibition won’t work (remember the 20’s anyone). Spending a little on education will have a better effect than overtaxation. I am a diabetic and lost 50 lbs. when diagnosed, I am also a smoker for 40 yrs. my Dr.’s werte suprised that for smoking so long my lungs and heart are in better shape tha most 20 somethings. I no longer need medication for my diabetes as a result of weightloss and improved diet. Education was all it took.
July 28th, 2009 at 12:04 amRead this article. It states smokers reduce the cost of health care with shorter life spans
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/337/15/1052
September 21st, 2009 at 9:10 pm