Updated June 29, 2006
Fact sheets pertaining to secondhand smoke:
6 Major Conclusions of the Surgeon General Report
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/factsheets/factsheet6.html
There is No Risk-Free Level of Exposure to Secondhand Smoke www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/factsheets/factsheet7.html.
Tobacco's Toll on Our People
The simple truth is, tobacco-related illness is the number one cause of preventable death in the world. A fact that hits home in Mississippi.
But tobacco's toll doesn't stop with lives taken. Tobacco makes a significant economic impact in both public and private sectors in Mississippi, not to mention lowering the quality of life of thousands of citizens. Below are just a few reasons The Partnership strives to help prevent tobacco use in our state.
- Tobacco-related illnesses claims the lives of 4,700 Mississippians every year.
- Tobacco use by pregnant women is a leading cause of low birth-weight infants.
- Cigarette smoking doubles the likelihood of a stroke.
- Teens who smoke are 3-times more likely as nonsmokers to use alcohol, 8-times more likely to use marijuana, and 22-times more likely to use cocaine.
- Cigarette smokers are 2 - 4-times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than nonsmokers.
- Exposure to secondhand smoke has been shown to hamper cognitive development in children.
Tobacco's Impact to Mississippi Taxpayers
- Treatment of tobacco-related illness costs the Mississippi Healthcare System $719 million each year.
- Treatment of tobacco-related illness costs the state's taxpayer-supported Medicaid program $264 million each year.
- For every individual Mississippian who pays taxes, $534 of your money goes to Medicaid pay to treat tobacco related illness in the state.
- Tobacco use is linked to $1.41 billion in lost worker productivity annually in the state.
Information from The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
