Agenda - 06-16-2015 - 6h - Laserfiche WebLink

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lAttachment 2 6 r oi::::' I CIE.i..Aii ri i & I IUMAN SI:..:..]RVIQII:..:..S Public Health Seirvice . ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Ceinteirs foir E.' isease Control aind Pireveinfloin (C[)C) Aflainta GA 30341 3724 April 5, 2013 Re: State Preemption of Local Authority to Engage in Evidence-Based Tobacco Control Policies Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States [1]. Cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are responsible for approximately 443,000 deaths each year in this country [I]. In addition, for every person who dies of a smoking-related disease, another 20 persons are living with a serious chronic disease caused by smoking [1]. Smoking also imposes a major economic burden on society, costing the nation $96 billion each year in medical expenses and another $97 billion annually in lost productivity [I]. In North Carolina, an average of over 12,200 adults died from smoking-related diseases each year from 2000-2004[1]. North Carolina ranks 38th among states in its smoking-related death rate [I]. In North Carolina, smoking is responsible for almost $2.7 billion in personal health care expenditures and over $3.5 billion in lost productivity [2]. About 17 percent of North Carolina adults and about 18 percent of North Carolina high school students are current smokers [2]. The scientific evidence, based on numerous studies and evaluations of tobacco control programs and initiatives in the United States and other countries, shows that the most effective way to reduce tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure is through a comprehensive approach that combines educational, clinical, regulatory, economic, and social strategies [3,4]. The objectives of such an approach include promoting changes in social norms that discourage smoking and encourage quitting, motivating tobacco users to try to quit and helping them do so successfully, preventing initiation of tobacco use by youth and young adults, eliminating secondhand smoke exposure, and eliminating tobacco-related population disparities [3,4]. Research has shown that policy interventions play a central role in this process [3,4,5]. These policies include laws eliminating smoking in workplaces and public places [3,4,5]. Secondhand smoke causes premature death and disease in children and nonsmoking adults [6]. Specifically, secondhand smoke exposure causes heart disease and lung cancer in nonsmoking adults and a number of serious health conditions in children, including sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections, ear infections, and more severe asthma [6]. The Surgeon General has concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke [6]. Only eliminating smoking in indoor spaces fully protects nonsmokers from secondhand smoke [6]. Despite recent progress in reducing secondhand smoke exposure in this country, two in five U.S. nonsmokers, including more than half of children, continue to be exposed [7]. Comprehensive smoke-free policies that completely eliminate smoking in indoor workplaces and public places, including restaurants and bars, have been found to reduce secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmokers, to prevent heart attack hospitalizations, to help smokers quit, and to reduce respiratory and sensory symptoms and improve lung function among restaurant and bar workers [6,8,9].