Indiana has the nation's 10th-highest smoking rate.
(Indianapolis, Ind.) – A new study shows a lack of funding for tobacco control programs may be contributing to Indiana having a high smoking rate.
According to a Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation report, Indiana spent $8.2 million in 2016 on tobacco control efforts. That may seem like a lot of money, but comparatively the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends states allocate $73.5 million for such efforts.
The report predicts that spending the recommended $73.5 million could cause approximately 117-thousand Hoosier adults to stop smoking. A reduction of that magnitude would cut the state’s smoking rate by about 11 percent.
Researchers say smoking causes more than 11,000 deaths per year in Indiana and cost the state $7.6 billion in health care expenses.
Indiana currently has the nation’s 10th-highest smoking rate.
For more information, read the full Fairbanks Foundation report at www.rmff.org.
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