America's Health Rankings Report dispels many of the myths, publicized by anti smoking extremists.

America’s Health Rankings Report dispels many of the myths,
publicized by anti smoking extremists.

Myth: Tobacco control programs have played a major role in
the reduction in the prevalence of smoking.

“From 1993 to 2003, no noteworthy improvement was made in decreasing the
overall prevalence of smoking in the United States”. Page 3 of the United
Health Foundation-press release of America’s Health Rankings 2005 edition.

There was a 30% reduction in the prevalence of smoking from 1990 but the
majority of this reduction occurred between 1990 and 1993. This fact does not
stop anti smoking groups, whose efforts only began with funding from the 1998
tobacco settlement, from taking credit for a reduction in smoking.

Myth: Smoking bans are associated with a lower rate of
smoking.

The prevalence of smoking in New Jersey, a non-smoking ban state is 18.8%
compared with New York, a smoking ban state (instituted in 2003) with a
prevalence of smoking at of 19.9%. Of the 10 states with the lowest rate of
smoking only 3 have total bans on indoor smoking. Utah the state with the
lowest rate of smoking allows smoking in taverns and private clubs.

Myth: Smoking bans save lives.

Of the five states with the lowest mortality rate, only one, Connecticut, has a
statewide smoking ban (Instituted in 2004). Of the 10 states with the lowest
mortality rates, only three have total bans on indoor smoking. California the
state with the oldest indoor smoking ban is ranked 15th, in the country. The
state of Washington, which did not yet have a smoking ban in place at the time
of this study, ranks the same as California. Utah the state with the lowest rate of
smoking only ranks at number 9 and they allow smoking in taverns and private
clubs.

Myth: Reducing exposure to second hand smoke reduces
Healthcare costs.

Despite the elimination of exposure to second-hand smoke in places open to
the public (instituted in 2003), New York State Experienced a 20% increase in
per capita healthcare costs from 2004 to 2005.

Even the so called “tobacco states”, with few if any restrictions on smoking in
places open to the public, have lower per capita health care costs than New
York. These states include Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Tennessee, as well as 40 other states.

Myth: Smokers are more likely to miss more days of work due
to poor health.

If this were true you would expect that a lower rate of smoking would result in
less limited activity days. Limited activity days are described as “the number of
days when a person indicates their activities are limited due to physical or
mental difficulties. This is a general indication of the populations ability to
function on a day to day basis.”

The national average for limited activity days is 2.1. While Utah’s (the state with
the lowest rate of smoking) residents only experience 1.7 days limited activity
days, there are 5 states that have lower limited activity days among their its
residents, all have higher rates of smoking. Despite California having the
second lowest rate of smoking, it’s residents still experienced 2.3 limited
activity days (9.5% above the national average).

A spotlight on New York

As a resident of New York I was troubled New York States score as it is related
to children and pregnant women; in New York State the child poverty rate is
21.3% (significantly higher than the national average of 17.8%). There are only
6 states with a higher childhood poverty rate. Further New York State ranks 48
out of 50 in providing adequate prenatal care to women. While the study does
not specifically address the cause of these disparities, it begs two questions; Is
New York State’s myopic focus on tobacco control to blame for a abnormally
high childhood poverty rate, and an abnormally low access to prenatal care?
Put another way; could some of the money being spent on tobacco control be
better spent fighting childhood poverty, and providing adequate care to
pregnant women? New York’s 20% increase in health care expenditures, after
instituting a ban on indoor smoking, suggests that the additional costs in
healthcare are not attributed to second hand smoke, but to the states blatant
disregard for it’s children by it’s failure to address childhood poverty and to
provide adequate care for pregnant women.

Jonathan Pinard, Executive Director
New York Coalition of Social Smokers
www.socialsmokers.org