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Health Experts: Ind. Needs To Lower Smoking Rate, Increase Cigarette Tax

By Lindsey Wright

Posted September 13, 2018

tobacco-pic.jpg

Health experts say Indiana has one of the highest adult smoking rates. (Lindsey Wright, WFIU/WTIU News)

Public health experts say Indiana has a long way to go when it comes to preventing tobacco use, and they say the problem needs even more attention as more young kids use e-cigarettes.

Indiana ranks near the bottom in several public health categories.

Obesity, infant mortality and the opioid crisis were just a few of the topics discussed in Bloomington Thursday during a town hall hosted by the Alliance for a Healthier Indiana.

Carol Weiss-Kennedy, the director of community health for IU Health Bloomington, says many of the health issues Hoosiers struggle with come back to tobacco use. She says Indiana has one of the highest adult smoking rates.

"It’s called tobacco nation, this is a grouping of about 12 to 13 states. We are one of those states," she says.

A group at the town hall passed out cards to attendees, and plans to send them to legislators demanding a cigarette tax increase. It’s an effort that has failed in the past. But experts say it’s a proven way to prevent people from using tobacco.

Weiss-Kennedy says many young people are turning to e-cigarettes because it’s framed as healthier option, but she says it’s not.

"Science is always there, it’s just not as sexy as the tobacco companies I think can make their products look," she says.

According to the 2018 Indiana Youth Survey, nearly three times as many kids in grades seven through 12 reported using electronic vapor products compared to regular cigarettes. 

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