Indiana

The Smoking Guns

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

As Indiana lawmakers move forward with the debate over a proposed statewide smoking ban, the American Lung Association has put out its annual State of Tobacco report card where it grades states on their smoking cessation/prevention efforts:  smokefree air, tobacco control program funding, cigarette taxes and coverage of tobacco cessation treatments and services.

Indiana got an ?F? in tobacco prevention and control spending, an ?F? in smokefree air, and an ?F? in cessation coverage and a ?D? for the cigarette tax.

Anti-smoking advocates say the “F” in smokefree air should be a wake-up call for a smoking ban, but if you look a little closer at the data something doesn’t quite add up.

For example, according to the Association here are some smoking stats for 2010…

• Economic Costs due to Smoking  – $4.8 billion.
• Adult Smoking Rate – 23.1%
• High School Smoking Rate – 23.5 %
• Middle School Smoking Rate – 4.1 %.
• Smoking Attributable Deaths  – 9,728
• Smoking Attributable Lung Cancer Deaths – 3,200
• Smoking Attributable Respiratory Disease Deaths  -   2,623

But look at the figures from the 2009 report*…

• Economic Costs due to Smoking  – $4.8 billion.
• Adult Smoking Rate – 26 %
• High School Smoking Rate – 22.5 %
• Middle School Smoking Rate – 4.1 %.
• Smoking Attributable Deaths  – 9,728
• Smoking Attributable Lung Cancer Deaths – 3,200
• Smoking Attributable Respiratory Disease Deaths  -   2,623

And take a look at the figures from the 2007 report…

• Economic Costs due to Smoking  – $3.97 billion.
• Adult Smoking Rate – 24.1%
• High School Smoking Rate – 23.2 %
• Middle School Smoking Rate – 7.7 %.
• Smoking Attributable Deaths  – 9,767
• Smoking Attributable Lung Cancer Deaths – 3,148
• Smoking Attributable Respiratory Disease Deaths  -   2,508

You would think these numbers would be decreasing as the number of smoking establishments decreases.  In its 2006 report the Lung Association claimed the economic impact of smoking in Indiana was nearly $3.973 billion and the adult smoking rate was 27.3 %.

Remember, a lot of municipalities in Indiana did not adopt bans until after 2005.  So if there are fewer places to smoke shouldn’t these number be dropping instead of increasing or remaining stagnant?  One of the arguments made by the anti-smoking crowd is that the fewer places that allow smoking will eventually lead to fewer smokers.   The Lung Association’s own data seems to point to the contrary.

I would argue that it is not the bar, tavern or private club that is the problem.  It is the private home that is the issue and if the anti-smoking crowd was serious about attacking smoking and smoking-related illnesses, they would pass a law to ban smoking in  private residences because by a look at the data, the problem is not public places where consumers have a choice.

Just a thought.

*I know some of the 2010 data is the same as the 2009, but that’s what I pulled from their websites.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on January 20, 2011 (boomark / email).