Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States today. It will claim an estimated 438,000 American lives this year including those affected indirectly from second hand smoke exposure[i].
It costs the United States over $167 BILLION each year in health-care costs[ii].
Tobacco kills more people each day than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, firearms, and illegal drugs – combined[iii].
Cigarette smoke contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer. Smoking is directly responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and approximately 80-90 percent of COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths[iv]
About 8.6 million people in the U.S. have at least one serious illness caused by smoking. That means that for every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, there are 20 more people who suffer from at least one serious illness associated with smoking[v].
Smoking in the LGBT Community
Several factors such as higher levels of social stress, frequent patronage of bars and clubs, higher rates of alcohol and drug use, and direct targeting of LGBT consumers by the tobacco industry may be related to higher prevalence rates of tobacco use among some LGBT people[vi].
LGBT individuals are 40-70% more likely to smoke than non-LGBT[vii].
GBT men are 50% more likely to smoke than the general population and LBT women are almost 200% more likely to smoke than the general population[viii].
LGBT adolescents are taking up smoking at an alarming rate – in a recent national study 45% of females and 35% of males reporting same-ses attraction or behavior smoked. In comparison, only 29% of the rest of the youth smoked[ix].
The American Cancer Society estimates that over 30,000 LGBT people die each year of tobacco-related diseases[x]. This is a very conservative estimate, because it presumes we smoke at the same rate as the general population.
Tobacco companies offer an unknown amount of financial support to LGBT festivals, bars, media, and local organizations[xi]. Sometimes this money comes with conditions, for example, some gay bars are prohibited from allowing any ant-tobacco promotion onsite.
[i] Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Annual Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses-U.S., 1997-2001. [ii] Ibid. [iii] Mokdah AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL. Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. JAMA. March 10, 2004 291(1238-1245 [iv] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS). Tobacco Use in the United States. January 27, 2004. [v] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cigarette Smoking Attributable Morbidity - U.S., 2000. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2003 Sept; 52(35): 842-844. [vi] Ryan H, Wortley PM, Easton A, Pederson L, Greenwood G. Smoking among lesbians, gays, and bisexuals: a review of the literature. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. August 2001 21(2) 142-149 [vii] Ibid, Center for Health Policy Research at the University of California Los Angeles. California Health Interview Survey. (include website info. here) [viii] Ryan H, Wortley PM, Easton A, Pederson L, Greenwood G. Smoking among lesbians, gays, and bisexuals: a review of the literature. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. August 2001 21(2) 142-149 [ix] Easton A, Serr R. Analysis of National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Paper presented as: Gay and Lesbian Medical Association; October 25, 2004; Palm Springs, CA. [x] Ibid. [xi] Ibid.
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