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The 10 U.S. States Most Addicted To Cigarettes

The 10 U.S. States Most Addicted To Cigarettes

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Have trouble jogging down the street without stopping to catch your breath? Do you wake up every morning with a frog in your throat? You might live in one of the areas most addicted to smoking. Even if you’re not a smoker yourself, being exposed to cigarette smoke can still cause health problems.

arktimes.com
arktimes.com

Arkansas

Around 27% of Arkansas adults smoke cigarettes. That’s around 7% more than the national average of 20 percent. According to a recent study, less than 3% of smokers who attempted to quit in the past year were successful. Gov. Mike Beebe recognizes the problem and has made secondhand smoke a priority on his political agenda. In 2011, a law was passed prohibiting adults from smoking inside cars with passengers under the age of 14.

flickr.com
flickr.com

 

Alabama

Alabama’s youth smoking rate is one of the highest in the country. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that around 20% of high school kids are smokers. In response to that shocking number, many colleges have prohibited smoking on campus, including Troy University, Miles College and Auburn University. However, off campus, smokers can light up in workplaces, restaurants and bars. It doesn’t help that the state has some of the lowest cigarette taxes in the country.

nickweis.wordpress.com
nickweis.wordpress.com

Kentucky

It’s not just Kentucky residents who are dependent on tobacco—the state depends on it too! Tobacco production is a leading industry in Kentucky. Along with North Carolina, it produces two thirds of America’s tobacco harvest. As for the individual smokers in the area, Kentucky has the second-highest adult smoking rate, as well as the highest rate of smoking-related deaths. An even scarier fact is that the state has the highest number of high-school smokers in the U.S.

amateurgourmet.com
amateurgourmet.com

Louisiana

More than one in four adults in this party-loving state smoke cigarettes. It’s no surprise that the state that loves to drink loves to light up, too. State Senator Rob Marionneaux has made efforts to ban smoking in Louisiana bars, but has failed to earn support; the state is concerned the ban would hurt the bar business.

healthyliving.msn.com
healthyliving.msn.com

Mississippi

Only two states in the country allow smoking in child-care facilities, and Mississippi is one of them. Smoking is prohibited in government buildings and on college campuses, but suggestions for a wider ban have not been met with open arms. A proposal to ban smoking in restaurants and non-government buildings crumbled under the opposing argument that the government shouldn’t have a say in how private businesses operate.

columbiatribune.com
columbiatribune.com

Missouri

While finances might be a deterrent for many from smoking, it isn’t in Missouri where the cigarette tax is a measly $.017 per pack, and the packs themselves cost just around $4.50. The state even decided against a method that could have easily reduced the number of young smokers—hiking up those pack prices. Studies have found that a 10% price hike can reduce the number of cigarettes consumed by around 4%.

smokersinfo.net
smokersinfo.net

 

Oklahoma

The number of smokers and smoking-related deaths in the original home of the Marlboro man are high, but there might be hope for the tobacco-loving state: a new state law has given communities local control over smoking in public parks and municipal facilities. Furthermore, the law banned smoking in all state-owned buildings.

healthyliving.msn.com
healthyliving.msn.com

 

South Carolina

Even though millions of dollars have been put into national campaigns in the last decade preaching the dangers of smoking, South Carolina smokers have remained stubborn, showing one of the lowest cessation rates. Only 2% of smokers have been successful in quitting for at least a year in recent years. And that tiny $0.57 cigarette tax rate doesn’t help matters. What makes quitting even harder here is that smoking is allowed in restaurants, bars, private work sites and retail stores.

cbsnews.com
cbsnews.com

Tennessee

The home of the Great Smoky Mountains doesn’t have a particularly high smoking rate, but it does have some of the highest cigarette sales and one of the worst rates of smoking-related deaths. The state isn’t taking much action either, having one of the lowest national spending rates on programs and services advocating cessation of smoking.

mnn.com
mnn.com

West Virginia

West Virginia has the second-highest percentage of adult smokers in the U.S., with an alarming 28.6% sucking on these death sticks. And it’s not just the number of smokers that is high, but the frequency of smoking. The average resident of the Mountain State buys 113 packs each year, and it shows: West Virginia has the second-highest rate of deaths attributed to lung cancer, and around 90% are caused by smoking.