Tobacco use is the single most important preventable cause of death and disability in the United States. On some level, this foundation is the World Series of public health,

At a time when only four states - Colorado, Delaware, Maine and Mississippi - have allocated tobacco prevention and cessation budgets at recommended CDC levels, the industry spent $15.4 billion in 2003, according to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. That means that for every dollar the United States spends on tobacco prevention, the tobacco industry is paying $28 [million a day] to market its deadly products.

Tobacco use kills 1200 Americans every day and 450,000 every year. More people die from tobacco-related diseases than from AIDS, alcohol use, drugs, fires, car accidents, murders and suicides combined. It is the nation's leading preventable cause of death.

Tobacco-cessation programs are critical for the 45 million Americans who still smoke. Research shows 70 percent of smokers want to quit, but many lack the tools and resources needed to quit successfully. Help from friends, family and employers is critical to their success. Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 Americans each year. Initiatives such as the Gold Standard can provide smokers with the support they need to quit and stay quit.

The Master Settlement Agreement placed significant restrictions on the advertising and marketing practices of the tobacco companies, and also provided funding for an effective anti-smoking public education campaign targeted directly at youth. These new numbers conclusively demonstrate that the combination of these two factors -- together with the hard work of the Attorneys General and the public health community -- has resulted in major reduction in smoking rates since the MSA was signed.

Corporate citizen notwithstanding, ... a heck of a lot of Americans are dying prematurely due to this product.