AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION SAYS PENNSYLVANIA HAS A BAD SMOKING PROBLEM

Pennsylvania is being given pretty bad grades for tobacco prevention, especially among kids. A new report from the American Lung Association says 17.3 percent of Pennsylvania residents smoke. That resulted in Pennsylvania getting all Ds and Fs in the latest national report card from the American Lung Association, which grades states on their efforts to reduce tobacco use. Pennsylvania received an F for having no ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products including electronic-cigarettes. The lung association now urges Pennsylvania lawmakers to remove exemptions from the Clean Indoor Air Act that can allow smoking in places including bars, private clubs and casinos, and make them permanently smoke-free. Pennsylvania’s rate of tobacco use among high school students is even worse than that of adults… 26.7%. It includes a 6.6% smoking rate among high school students and a 1.3% smoking rate among middle school students. The lung association said about 22,000 Pennsylvania deaths result from smoking annually.