Smoking rate in Ariz. drops to historic low
Kicking the habit isn’t easy, but Arizonans are doing it
Arizonans are quitting, in the best possible way. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, the adult smoking rate in the state has dropped to a historic low of 14 percent.
The agency notes that the decrease translates to more than 200,000 Arizonans who kicked the habit over the last five years.
It’s great news that should have a positive impact on the overall health of the state.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. It harms nearly every organ of the body, from the brain, head and face to muscles and bones.
It causes a variety of illnesses, from premature aging and wrinkles, emphysema, cancer, a weakened immune system, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to heart disease, strokes, asthma, diabetes and more.
However, the benefits of quitting extend past the smoker. The Arizona Department of Health Services notes that secondhand smoke is also a problem, particularly impacting children. The CDC reports that secondhand smoke causes a variety of health issues, including asthma, respiratory infections, ear infections and sudden infant death syndrome. The American Lung Association says it alone causes more than 41,000 deaths a year.
In fact, the American Lung Association notes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke for adults or children.
Smoking takes a toll on one’s health, as well as one’s pocketbook.
The Arizona Department of Health Services reports that smoking can lead to “lost earnings, increased medical expenses and lower property values.” And frankly, buying a pack of cigarettes is expensive in Arizona. Quitting can lead to more cash in one’s pocket immediately.
Quitting is no easy task. Nicotine is addictive, and breaking that habit is tough. It takes time, courage and patience to make it through successfully. The process can be painful and stressful, both for the smoker and the people around him, but the end result is well worth it.
Those 200,000 Arizonans who have managed to do so over the last five years should be congratulated.
And for those who are ready to kick the habit too, know that there’s help out there. The Arizona Department of Health Services says that the ASHLine offers free counseling and free nicotine replacement therapy. Give them a call today at 1-800-556-6222.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?
There are four people on the ballot in November, not two. So stay home or vote for the one you want. But don’t vote for just anyone because you think you must vote – period. You have a choice. Pick the one who believes like you do.
Recently the City of Yuma Public Works Department put up “temporary” stop signs to replace the 8th Ave.– 28th St. stop light and crosswalk lights. They announced that the intersection would have a two-way stop sign on 28th St. I and my neighbors strongly object this action for several reasons.
After contacting a PWD engineer, he said a survey was conducted earlier in the summer and that a second would be done. In the Tuesday, Sept. 20 edition of the Yuma Sun the public was informed the stop light would go “bye-bye.” School children, bicyclists and walkers use the crossing lights at the intersection during the fall and winter seasons. In the first survey, was school in session at Palmcroft Elementary, R. Pete Woodard and Kofa High School? Some live in apartment complexes, trailer parks and private homes east of 8th Avenue. Also, there is not a paved sidewalk on the east side of 8th Avenue between 25th and 26th Street. Bicycle, tricycle and other non-motorized vehicle riders use 28th Avenue to go toward downtown. This street is listed as a designated official route on the Yuma bicycle route map. Will they have to compete against motor vehicle drivers going 35 or 40 mph without a stop between 24th and 32nd streets? This creates a potentially dangerous situation. Also, business users for the funeral home, medical and CPA offices and the flower shop will have a delayed access to 8th Avenue. Lastly, there are the resident senior citizens, the “snowbirds” and other walkers who go to Ray Smucker Park to use the new exercise equipment or to the medical offices and/ or labs for physical exams or blood tests. Actually I wonder if another stop light is needed at Catalina Drive and 8th Avenue to reduce traffic congestion and accidents there.
I read the Yuma Sun’s Sept. 22 editorial asking the citizens of Yuma if they would be willing to pay more in their APS bills to fight “global warming.” My answer is, absolutely not!
Why? Because one of the greatest scams ever played on America is the hoax of man-made global warming, and hysterical citizens are buying it hook line and sinker. The real ring leaders of the “global warming” farce are the phony global warming extremists and other feel-good idiots that spread this deceitfilled lie, this half-baked truth and its toxic level of hypocrisy.
Man-made global warming does not exist. There is no “man-made” global warming. It is a sham, and artful lie perpetrated by international environmental bamboozlists filled with a tsunami of pure BS. They are sickening hypocritical political environmental frauds. Now they are insisting we sacrifice stacks of cash to “save the planet.” Typical elitist nonsense.
Is the earth warming? Yes, of course it is. The earth has gone through numerous periods of warming and cooling over millions of years. But the global warming goofballs will tell you “man-made” carbon dioxide is the evil culprit. These fluctuations are caused by the sun, not excess man-made carbon dioxide. The earth warms and cools on its own, and contrary to popular belief, the natural cycle of the earth’s warming and cooling is due to the sun. Always has been, always will be, and that’s a fact.
Before you are conned into believing this global warming bunk, you first need to think critically instead of letting fatuous windbags who don’t think, but simply react with their emotions, manipulate your emotions to do your thinking for you. Think critically for yourself, and don’t be manipulated into believing fiction over fact.