The Tobacco Challenges
- Tobacco is the most preventable cause of death and disease, killing about 2,500 people in Maine every year and nearly 430,000 people in the United States.[1]
- Nearly 25% of 11th and 12th graders in Aroostook County used cigarettes within the last 30 days.[2]
- Between 2001 and 2005, there were 323 deaths from lung cancer, 1614 deaths from cardiovascular disease, and 249 deaths from chronic lower respiratory disease in Aroostook County.[3]
*Rates represent deaths per 100,000 population and are based on the underlying cause.
[1] Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
[2] Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey, 2006
[3] Department of Health and Human Services, May 2008
