According to new
numbers for 2014 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the US.
Tobacco use is blamed for 480,000 premature deaths and over $300 billion in
direct healthcare costs each year. Unfortunately CT is not immune; 15.4% of
adults in our state smoked cigarettes in 2014. That rate has remained
relatively steady over the last five years. Like every other state, men in CT
more likely to smoke than women (17.5% vs. 13.5%). Also as in the rest of the
US, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to smoke in CT than whites (17.9%,
19.0% and 14.34% respectively).
