Over the past two decades, I have dedicated my career to tobacco prevention and smoking cessation, serving in leadership roles with the American Heart Association, the Truth Initiative and state health departments in New York and Ohio. Throughout my career, I have witnessed firsthand how evidence-based approaches — when implemented thoughtfully — can meaningfully shift public health outcomes. Today, I am more convinced than ever that tobacco harm reduction represents exactly this kind of evidence-based opportunity for South Carolina.
Cigarette smoking remains South Carolina’s most persistent and costly public health challenge. Despite decades of progress, more than a half million South Carolinians continue to smoke, leading to more than 7,200 deaths each year. This is not only a burden on the friends and families of smokers; it is also a substantial cost for taxpayers totaling $2.2 billion annually to treat smoking-related illness, with nearly $512 million of that coming from Medicaid.
The facts on smoking cessation are stark. Seventy percent of Americans who smoke want to quit, yet most lack the support systems needed to succeed. For every 100 people attempting to quit through willpower alone, only three to five remain abstinent beyond six months. Even health insurance offers limited help: Most plans cover only two attempts at quitting per year. This helps explain why an estimated 60 percent to 90 percent of adults who try to quit smoking ultimately relapse.
Fortunately, Palmetto State lawmakers have an opportunity to pass legislation that would provide people who smoke with incentives to make what I consider better decisions for their health and alleviate some of the financial burden associated with treating smoking-related illnesses.
