Again last week we had updated data reported in the New England Journal of Medicine showing more that half of deaths among smokers are
due to smoking related diseases that are in fact caused by smoking. These
cancer heart disease and vascular conditions could be avoided by stopping
smoking.
Life expectancy is substantially reduced among smokers.
National data from the 1997 to 2004 show that smoker have their lives shortened
on average about 10 years (see article). We recently redrew data from the 1930s that show this
same impact of smoking shortening life (see article)
While death is one way to summarize the burden on society
caused by marketing of tobacco, perhaps this misses the greater burden. We know
from many studies here and around the work that smokers have more visits to health
care providers, when hospitalized they stay longer, and if they work they have
more sick days. Furthermore, smokers have lower quality of life compared to
nonsmokers. So smoking is costing our business community through loss of productivity
and higher health insurance costs driven by employees who smoke. Those who
smoke have lower quality of life. We all pay for Medicare coverage of health
services for those over 65.
Isn’t it time we stood up to the industry making cigarettes
and marketing them to our fellow citizens, and agreed as a nation to implement
the many proven strategies to reduce smoking in our communities?
