Anti-smokers just love to insist on smoking bans as a means to prevent deaths from chronic diseases,such as Heart Disease,Stroke,and Cancers.

However,did the California state-wide ban on smoking actually reduce these deaths compared to the nationwide trends?

Between 1995 to 2001;for the US, Heart Disease deaths went down 12%, Stroke deaths went down 4.5%,and Cancer deaths went down 5%.

For California from 1995 to 2001(smoking ban effective Jan 1998); Heart Disease deaths down 9%(25% Less),Stroke deaths went UP 1.7%(ABOUT 350% INCREASE), and Cancer deaths went down 4%(20% less).

NOTE: Smoking rates nationwide stayed about the same. California smoking rates from 1998 to 2001 declined.

Clearly;smoking has nothing to do with these diseases and smoking bans cause deaths from these chronic diseases to increase!!
Gary K.

The Burden of Chronic Disease
Chronic diseases—such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes—are among the most prevalent, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Seven of ten Americans who die each year, or more than 1.7 million people, die of a chronic disease.

http://0-www.cdc.gov.mill1.sjlibrary.org/nccdphp/public...sease/california.htm

Mortality Rates, 1995 and 2001
*rates per 100,000

United States California
1995 2001 1995 2001
Heart Disease 280.7 245.8 216.3 197.2

Stroke 60.1 57.4 51.4 52.3

All cancers 204.9 194.4 162.8 155.8
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, 2003


http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/brfss/Trends/trendchart_c.asp?...key=10000&SUBMIT1=Go

Current Smokers*

California Nationwide
Year: %
1995 15.5 22.4
1996 18.6 23.4
1997 18.4 23.2
1998 19.2 22.9
1999 18.7 22.6
2000 17.2 23.2
2001 17.2 22.8

This message has been edited. Last edited by: gkayser30,

What these people do NOT seem to realize is these tests, doctor appointments, and treatment cost real time and money. Since this is their business to provide it these things mean nothing to them.

To them this is necessary, to the consumer it is a pain in the posterior.

It is no different than the opinion of a life insurance salesman, a car dealer, Microsoft, cell phone provider, or any other salesman who thinks we all need and must have what they provide. Each of them want the consumer to reallocate their disposable income to their product and move it from like to have to necessity.

Anti's claim that SHS kills about 60,000 of us per year. Calif. has 12% of the population and would have about 7,000 deaths per year due to SHS.

A smoking ban is needed and claimed to prevent those deaths.

My math shows that in 2001,after several years of a smoking ban, Calif. had 4,100 more deaths from chronic diseases than the national average.

The Calif. smoking ban not only did not prevent the 7,000 SHS deaths; if you add that to the excess of 4,100 deaths, there is a swing of about 11,100 deaths caused by the smoking ban.

The anti's big lie; "Smoking bans do not prevent deaths,SMOKING BANS CAUSE DEATHS!!.

Gary K.