Smoking kills more than 430,000 Americans each year. That’s more than alcohol, cocaine, crack, heroin, homicide, suicide, car accidents, and AIDS combined.
 

Smoking causes more than just lung cancer. It can cause a host of other kinds of cancer, heart disease, respiratory disease, and many other ailments.
 

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Some 213,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease in 2007 and 160,000 are expected to die in the same year .
 

Approximately 24.8% of St. Charles County residents smoke, while the state rate is 26.5%. This is among the highest in the country.
 

Missouri spends the least to prevent and reduce tobacco of all states. It has also has the second lowest tax on cigarettes.
 

The Economic Cost of Smoking in Missouri :
$1.97 billion - In 2002 dollars, the annual cost of treating smoking-related illnesses in Missouri
$2.4 billion – Smoking-related lost productivity cost in Missouri in 2001
$10.1 million - Cost of neonatal care due to smoking during pregnancy in 1996 in Missouri