Fred M Jacobs
Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, State of New Jersey, Trenton, NJ 08625, USA
DOI: 10.1186/1477-3163-5-8
ABSTRACT
In 2004, a Tsunami in South Asia killed more than 180,000 people and the world recoiled in shock and disbelief. In 2005 an earthquake in Pakistan killed close to 100,000 and the world was devastated. These are truly terrible disasters that continue to claim lives, and we are rightly horrified by their scope and scale.
Yet, every year 400,000 Americans die from smoking cigarettes and few people notice, and fewer still are standing up to try to save those lives. We must begin to see the tragedy of smoking-related deaths as a challenge as great as any natural disaster.
Tobacco is a legal product which, when used as directed, leads to the death or disability of the user. I cannot think of any other product like that on the market today.
More people die from tobacco than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. It is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Read more…