Tobacco
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death for both men and women. About 1,400 cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in Colorado each year.
Objectives and strategies for tobacco prevention in Colorado are coordinated through a comprehensive network of partners and organizations in which the Colorado Cancer Coalition participates. To decrease duplication and increase coordination, the Colorado Cancer Coalition uses these same strategies.
With our partners in tobacco prevention, The Colorado Cancer Coalition developed tobacco prevention and control objectives and strategies aligned with its goals. This information can be accessed through the State Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership Strategic Plan.
Avoidance of tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke are the key to reducing lung cancer, morbidity & mortality.
Avoidance of tobacco use and exposure to second hand smoke is the key to reducing lung cancer morbidity and mortality. Tobacco excise taxes have been proven to be the the most effective, population-based prevention tool to reduce tobacco use.Morbidity and mortality from heart disease and cancer will be reduced significantly if the prevalence of smoking is decreased. Despite the known adverse effects of tobacco use, approximately 650,000 adult Coloradans still smoke. Environmental tobacco smoke, commonly known as secondhand smoke, also contributes to lung cancer risk.
In addition to its association with deaths due to lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, cigarette smoking also is a risk factor for the development of cancers of the bladder, cervix, colon/rectum, esophagus, kidney, larynx and pancreas.
Nearly 70% of current adult smokers are more likely to quit if encouraged by their health care provider. Most adult smokers begin to smoke regularly before age 20. There are approximately 200,000 youth who are current smokers in Colorado.
Experimentation with smoking is occurring at younger and younger ages, and initiation now occurs almost entirely during adolescence. Preventing young people from starting to smoke should be a major focus of efforts to reduce the prevalence of cigarette smoking.
Experimentation with smoking is occurring at younger and younger ages, and initiation now occurs almost entirely during adolescence.
Oral cancer has been shown to occur several times more frequently among smokeless tobacco users than among non- users, and may be 50 times as frequent among long-term spit tobacco users. The consumption of smokeless tobacco in the United States increased 40% between 1970 and 1986. Most new users of smokeless tobacco products are adolescent males. Approximately 140,000 adults are current smokeless tobacco users.
In August 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a guidance document which outlines minimum and maximum funding ranges and programmatic recommendations for state tobacco-control initiatives. The funding required for implementing programs varied depending on state characteristics, demographics, tobacco use prevalence and other factors. CDC's recommended standards for Colorado in fiscal year (FY) 2005-06 had a budget of approximately $29 million for tobacco control, the first time that funding is within CDC's recommended range.