Smoking and Tobacco

Includes free telephone counseling and quit kit for eligible callers.

Tobacco Use

Tobacco use costs lives and money. Every year, almost 10,000 Missourians die from tobacco-related diseases. Missouri spends almost two billion dollars ($1.97 billion in 2002) annually to treat smoking-related illness ($512 million to Medicaid in 2005).  Secondhand smoke causes an average of 1,150 deaths in Missouri annually.

In Missouri...

The adult smoking rate (24.9%in 2008) is the 4th highest in the U.S. The smoking rate for Missouri’s pregnant women has remained consistently high at around 18.0% for the last 10 years. The smoking rate among high school students, at 21.7%, not too different from adults. In fact, more than 90.0% of adult smokers began the habit before they were 18 years old. When considering spit tobacco and other types of tobacco in addition to smoking, the rate of use among Missouri kids jumps to 26.6%.

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Missouri Quitline Click on images to view the Missouri Quitline videos.
Smoking during pregnancy harms your baby. If you're ready to quit, we can help. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free telephone counseling.
Local Public Health Departments and family health care professionals may order quantities of these publications to encourage clients to quit smoking by clicking here.
2007 Missouri County Level Study of Adult Tobacco Use and Related Chronic Conditions and Practices - Executive Summary The Health and Economic Burden of Smoking in Missouri, 2000-2004 (May/June 2007) Reprinted with permission from Missouri Medicine 2007 May/June; 104 (3) pgs 265-269, Copyright 2007. Missouri State Medical Association.