| The Tobacco Reference Guide |
| by David Moyer, MD. |
| Chapter 35 Economic issues |
| globalink (artefact pour saut de ligne) |
| In the United Kingdom, if 40% of smokers stopped their habit by the year 2000, the |
| extra spending power could create up to 150,000 new jobs. Each year the UK has |
| about 120,000 deaths from tobacco. There are 12,000 employees in tobacco |
| manufacturing, which equals 10 deaths per employee per year. |
| Lancet, May 27, 1995, p. 1360 |
| tobacco reference guideg (artefact pour saut |
| Even though smokers die younger than the average American, over the course of their |
| lives current and former smokers generate an estimated $501 billion in excess health |
| care costs. Smoking is the largest single drain on the Medicare trust fund, poised to |
| take $800 billion over the next 20 years. On average, every pack of cigarettes |
| smoked is directly responsible for more than $3.90 in health care costs and lost |
| productivity. The tobacco industry argues that the total economic impact on society is |
| less than would be expected because of the money saved when a smoker dies before |
| collecting Social Security or a pension. Based on the tobacco industry's logic, all |
| efforts to combat cancer, heart disease, and other diseases should cease because |
| letting people die earlier saves money. |
| From "Saving Lives and Rising Revenue", Coalition on Smoking or Health, |
| February 1995 |
| tobacco reference guideg (artefact pour saut |
| Page 33 of 34 |
| globalink (artefact pour saut de ligne) |
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