In the battle against smoking, the forces of public health have gained considerable ground. Lives are being improved, and saved.
Key indicators are down in the state and Snohomish County, some of them dramatically. Smoking among children, for example, has dropped by more than half statewide o
ver the past decade. In the county, a survey released this spring showed student smoking rates at their lowest level since 2002.
The benefits are clear: a significantly healthier population, longer lives and lower health-care costs.
Still, this success mustn’t be taken for granted. One in five youths in Snohomish County still report smoking. Statewide, the rate of adult smokers is slightly below the national median, but an estimated 786,000 are still puffing their way to a higher risk of chronic disease and early death. Smoking remains the nation’s and county’s leading underlying cause of death, notes Dr. Gary Goldbaum, health officer of the Snohomish Health District.
With government budgets shrinking, fewer public dollars are available to sustain the positive momentum.
The Snohomish Health District, after three years of budget cuts and with no more money coming from the state tobacco settlement fund, remains committed to fighting tobacco use — but must do it a reduced level. It has just 1.5 full-time positions in its tobacco prevention program, which continues to run sting operations to discourage retailers from selling to minors. It’s also working with cities and other public entities to help develop policies to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke.
One strategy that’s gaining acceptance is banning smoking in subsidized housing. The Everett Housing Authority this month implemented a ban in all of its units. Housing Hope, a private nonprofit, has 19 multi-family facilities in Snohomish County, all of which are nonsmoking. Same for units operated by Senior Services of Snohomish County. And the Housing Authority of Snohomish County recently voted to begin phasing in a smoking ban.
In addition to protecting nonsmoking tenants from being exposed to carcinogens in their own home, such policies are a financial winner for landlords, who save on cleaning costs after smokers move out. Fire risk is also reduced substantially.
And as demand for smoke-free housing grows, more private, for-profit landlords see it as a good business decision. (For more information on smoke-free housing, including listings of available units, visit smokefreewashington.com/apartments.)
The damage smoking does — to smokers, those around them, and society at large — is well documented. The battle against it is going well, using reasonable, effective tools.
That success can continue if we don’t let our guard down.
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