SMOKING STATISTICS

How Smoking Bans Have Affected the USA

In recent years, concerns about the effects of secondhand smoke in public areas have led many cities in the United States to implement some sort of smoking ban. Smoking bans generally apply to most public places, with only a few exceptions that vary by state. But have such bans really done any good? Looking at smoking statistics in the USA can give you the answer for that question.

One major health concern caused by smoking, and therefore by secondhand smoke as well, is heart disease. The American Heart Association reports that 440,000 of the 2.4 million heart-related deaths each year are directly related to smoking. Secondhand smoke exposure can increase the chance of heart problems by up to 30 percent for those who don't smoke. Do public smoking bans improve this problem? A look at smoking ban statistics in the USA shows that the answer can be yes.

Pueblo, Colorado instituted a public smoking ban in 2003. The number of heart attacks in Pueblo has dropped by 41 percent from the 18 months just prior to the ban to the 18 months just after the ban, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The state of Massachusetts has reported similar results since enacting a smoking ban in 2004, with a 30 percent decline in heart attack deaths since that time.

A more obvious health concern associated with cigarette smoking, and therefore with secondhand smoke exposure, is lung disease, including lung cancer. Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke have as much as a 20 percent higher chance of developing lung cancer than if they were not exposed to the smoke. This is not a concern for everyone, of course, but for people employed in certain industries, there is no way to avoid secondhand smoke exposure, short of a legislated smoking ban.

The American Cancer Society reports that 87 percent of all lung cancer deaths are directly related to smoking or exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke. Other lung conditions, such as emphysema and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are caused by smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke. Over 75 percent of all deaths from COPD are directly related to smoking or secondhand smoke exposure.

Financial benefits also come from smoking bans. Fewer hospitalizations for smoking-related conditions means less money spent by the insurance companies to treat those conditions. This may not lead to a decrease the average person's health insurance premiums, but it can certainly help to prevent increases in those premiums.

While some people may feel that smoking bans infringe on personal rights, surveys generally show that the majority of those polled generally favor smoking bans in public places. Smoking bans vary by city and state, but generally include some exceptions so that there are still some public places that allow smoking. Even the most diehard opponent of smoking bans cannot deny the obvious health risks caused by smoking and secondhand smoke exposure. Smoking ban statistics in the USA make a strong case for the positive benefits of such bans.