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The devastating
impact of tobacco use can be felt by every segment of our state’s
population. The costs take many forms, including the debilitating
illnesses that affect tobacco users and the immense financial burden
that is incurred caring for these individuals.
The numbers associated with smoking and tobacco use in Arkansas
can be startling and eye opening. A staggering 100 Arkansans die
a week from causes related to smoking, which adds up to 5,200 people
a year. Sadly, many people who never pick up a cigarette are also
victims, with approximately 600 people dying every year from exposure
to someone else’s smoke.
As mentioned, the price of tobacco use isn’t just measured
in lives lost. The Arkansas economy struggles as well, saddled with
the dilemma of finding the funds to pay for the extra $413 million
in healthcare costs incurred as a result of tobacco use.
Other statistics that further dramatize the problem facing Arkansas
are the significant number of people still using tobacco and the
ages of many of the users. 25% of all Arkansans smoke. But even
more troubling, 44% of high school teens in Arkansas smoke. Smokeless
tobacco poses an even larger problem, especially among males, with
50% of all high school boys reporting regular use.
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