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12:26 AM
Alexis
• High school students who are current (past month) smokers: 19.5% or 3.4 million [Boys: 19.8% Girls: 19.1%]
• High school males who currently use smokeless tobacco: 15.0% [Girls: 2.2%]• Kids (under 18) who try smoking for the first time each day: 4,000• Kids (under 18) who become new regular, daily smokers each day: 1,000+• Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home: 15.5 million• Workplaces that have smoke-free policies:75.1%• Packs of cigarettes consumed by kids each year: 800 million (roughly $2.0 billion per year in sales revenue)• Adults in the USA who smoke: 20.6% or 46.6 million [Men: 23.5% Women: 17.9%]
Deaths & Disease in the USA from Tobacco Use
• People who die each year from their own cigarette smoking: approx. 400,000• Adult nonsmokers who die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke: approx. 50,000• Kids under 18 alive today who will ultimately die from smoking (unless smoking rates decline): 6,000,000+• People in the USA who currently suffer from smoking-caused illness: 8.6 million
Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined, with thousands more dying from spit tobacco use. Of all the kids who become new smokers each year, almost a third will ultimately die from it. In addition, smokers lose an average of 13 to 14 years of life because of their smoking.
Tobacco-Related Monetary Costs in the USA
Total annual public and private health care expenditures caused by smoking: $96 billion
- Annual Federal and state government smoking-caused Medicaid payments: $30.9 billion
[Federal share: $17.6 billion per year. States’ share: $13.3 billion]
- Federal government smoking-caused Medicare expenditures each year: $27.4 billion
- Other federal government tobacco-caused health care costs (e.g. through VA health care): $9.6 billion
- Annual Federal and state government smoking-caused Medicaid payments: $30.9 billion
[Federal share: $17.6 billion per year. States’ share: $13.3 billion]
- Federal government smoking-caused Medicare expenditures each year: $27.4 billion
- Other federal government tobacco-caused health care costs (e.g. through VA health care): $9.6 billion
• Annual health care expenditures solely from secondhand smoke exposure: $4.98 billion
Additional smoking-caused health costs caused by tobacco use include annual expenditures for health and developmental problems of infants and children caused by mothers smoking or being exposed to second-hand smoke during pregnancy or by kids being exposed to parents smoking after birth (at least $1.4 to $4.0 billion). Also not included above are costs from smokeless or spit tobacco use, adult secondhand smoke exposure, or pipe/cigar smoking.
Productivity losses caused by smoking each year: $97 billion
[Only includes costs from productive work lives shortened by smoking-caused death. Not included: costs from smokingcaused disability during work lives, smoking-caused sick days, or smoking-caused productivity declines when on the job.]
Other non-healthcare costs from tobacco use include residential and commercial property losses from smoking-caused fires(about half a billion dollars per year) and tobacco-related cleaning & maintenance ($3 billion).
• Taxpayers yearly fed/state tax burden from smoking-caused gov’t spending: $70.7 billion ($616 per household)• Smoking-caused health costs and productivity losses per pack sold in USA (low estimate): $10.47 per pack• Average retail price per pack in the USA (including sales tax): $5.29
Tobacco Industry Advertising & Political Influence
• Annual tobacco industry spending on marketing its products nationwide: $12.8 billion ($35+ million each day)
Research studies have found that kids are three times as sensitive to tobacco advertising than adults and are more likely to be influenced to smoke by cigarette marketing than by peer pressure; and that a third of underage experimentation with smoking is attributable to tobacco company advertising and promotion.• Annual tobacco industry contributions to federal candidates, political parties, and PACS: Over $2 million• Tobacco industry expenditures lobbying Congress in 2010: $16.6 million, 162 employees
Tobacco companies also spend enormous amounts to influence state and local politics; and, when threatened by the federal McCain tobacco control bill in 1998, spent more than $125 million in direct and grassroots lobbying to defeat it. Since 1998, Altria (Philip Morris) has spent more on lobbying Congress than almost any other business.
mostly medium-brown ribbons, and nothing foreign was found in the mix. About 1/8 inch of 
separated by what appears to be charcoal granules. We could definitely determine that the last part of the filter is made of something different than the ordinary cellulose found in filters. It can be described as a paper folded many, many times. In our tamp-down test, the tobacco compressed about 1/8 inch. The tobacco is made of mostly brown ribbons, and there was nothing out of the ordinary in it. We were very impressed with this one; it had a good rich flavor, didn’t burn too quickly, and the draw was nice and easy. This is a new breed of smoke in that it is made with genetically altered tobacco (like Omni) with increasingly lower nicotine levels. Although it says “low nicotine” right on the box, and these smokes have a new-fangled filter that may reduce carcinogens, the manufacturer makes no claims that Quest is safer than any other, and it is not being marketed as a smoking-cessation product, either. Nevertheless, we liked this one, and if perhaps it is one day proven to be “safer”, so much the better.
Pall Mall Lights Menthol 100′s Box – Made by Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp., Louisville, Kentucky. Length: 3 7/8 inches, 98mm; filter 13/16 inch, 20 mm. The tobacco, comprised mostly of medium-brown ribbons, contained nothing unusual in the sample we checked out. In the tamp-down test, it compressed about 1/8 inch. The Old Guy was pretty pleased with this one. He liked the way it went down (not rough at all, even though he was sick), and he was impressed with the smooth, but pretty powerful, flavor. Though touted as a menthol, very little of that came through to the Old Guy, which is always a bonus for him. Also, he found no unpleasant aftertaste whatsoever in this one. The major drawback: it burns way too slowly. The Old Guy commented that, in the 100 style, and if a person were so inclined, you could get two smokes out of one with these. And it even states right on the foil wrap inside the box, “Burns Slower”. In spite of that, he gave it about a 7.5 on a scale to 10. Another bonus: because this is not classed as a “premium”, you can get it for a pretty decent price. Bottom line: give these a go, if you are ready to try a good, solid generic brand.
Made in Columbia and imported by Freedom, “a little tobacco company”. Length:1/8 inches, 80 mm; filter 9/16 inch, 15 mm. The tobacco is a standard blend of medium-brown flakes and ribbons, and three pieces of stem were found in the sample that was inspected. In the tamp-down test, it compressed about 1/8 inch. One notable thing: the filter is recessed ј inch. The Old Guy didn’t care for this brand at all. He said it was possibly the weakest full-flavor he had ever tasted. The draw was extremely hard, which he thought could be attributed to the “funny” filter. He thought it went down okay, and it burned at an average rate. However, these didn’t make up for the wicked aftertaste it left him with.
Cigs Menthol Light King…Made in Canada. Length: 3 ј inches, 83 mm; filter ѕ inch, 20mm. The tobacco is a standard blend of medium-brown ribbons and flakes, and one fairly large piece of woody stem was found in the sample. Negligible results were obtained in the tamp-down test. The Old Guy really liked this one. He thought it had a nice, easy drag and that it went down smoothly. The burn rate was just what it should be, also. He was particularly impressed with the taste, which he said had just the right amount of menthol flavor. The Old Guy thought this one was very similar to a Basic Menthol Light. He said a person really can’t miss with this one…
Vegas Full Flavor King – Made by Star Tobacco, Petersburg, Pennsylvania. Length 3 ј inches, 83 mm; filter 1 inch, 25 mm. The tobacco is a course-cut standard blend with a strong binder. One piece of stem was found in the mix. In the tamp-down test, about 1/16 inch of tobacco compressed. Also, unlike other Star Tobacco products, this one didn’t have a charcoal-embedded filter. The Old Guy was very pleased with this one. He said it had everything a good full flavor smoke should have: an easy drag, smooth draw, and a rich, bold flavor (that means STRONG to the rest of us). He even liked the name of this brand. Also, he liked the burn rate. Would he smoke more packs of these (or maybe even buy them)? You bet…
