skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Study Spotlights Arkansas' High Rate of Cigarette-Related Deaths

play audio
Play

Friday, October 28, 2016   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – One-third of cancer deaths in Arkansas are due to cigarettes, ranking the state second in the nation for its percentage of smoking-related cancer deaths. A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that Arkansas tops the U.S. in cigarette-related cancer deaths among men, at 40 percent, and ranks fourth among women, at 26 percent.

Michael Keck, government relations director for the American Cancer Society in Arkansas said the state's history of tobacco-related public policies has contributed to the problem.

"Because of the fact that we have a tobacco tax below the national average, we have not fully funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs, and we do not have comprehensive smoke-free laws, we have created the situation where we are today," he explained.

Arkansas also has one of highest overall smoking rates among adults, ranking third among the states. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 25 percent of Arkansas adults smoke cigarettes. And 16 percent of the state's high schoolers smoke, a number also above the national average.

Keck describes smoking not only as a danger to the health of Arkansas residents, but as a drag on the state's economy.

"It is estimated that the cost, just simply the healthcare cost every year in Arkansas, is approximately $1 billion directly related to tobacco," he added. "That's hard dollars; that's what's spent in our state on tobacco-related illness."

Keck, who keeps Arkansas lawmakers updated on cancer-related issues, said the study should help him convince them to make some changes.

"This January, when the Legislature comes into session, it provides a great opportunity to address this," he said. "And I'm confident that we're going to be able to look at new legislation that would allow us to better address the health of Arkansans, and improve where we are in the statistics."

He added that the Legislature cut funding for the state's smoking "quit line" last year, but he believes the study could convince them to restore full funding and even expand the program.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021