Tobacco use contributes to an extensive list of serious diseases, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, multiple cancers, emphysema, and bronchitis; and second-hand smoke contributes to pediatric illness. In addition to this enormous health burden, smoking also imposes a major economic burden on society, costing the United States more than $300 billion each year, including
- Nearly $170 billion for direct medical care of adults
- More than $156 billion from lost productivity (e.g., increased use of sick leave, etc.) due to premature death.1
(3 pts on CDC Scorecard)
Have and promote a written policy banning tobacco use at your worksite.
- Model Smokefree Workplace Policy (American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation Smokefree Workplace)
- Tobacoo-Free Campus Toolkit (Download the Interactive Action Guide) (Kaiser Permanente)
- Employer’s Toolkit for Smokefree Workplaces and Tobacco Cessation Assistance (Missouri Foundation for Health)
- Making Your Worksite Tobacco-Free (American Lung Association)
Provide financial incentives for being a current non-smoker and for current smokers who are actively trying to quit tobacco by participating in a free or subsidized, evidence-based cessation program.
(2 pts on CDC Scorecard)
(1 pt on CDC Scorecard)