Information & Education Days 2024: Economic Costs of Commercial Tobacco

Breathe California Sacramento Region (BREATHE) Tobacco-Free staff participated in the 2024 Information & Education Days (I&E Days) on May 28-29, an annual event organized by the American Heart Association’s Tobacco Endgame Center for Organizing and Engagement. California Tobacco Prevention Program (CTPP)-funded projects and 266 advocates traveled to the Capitol to educate members of the California Legislature about the impact tobacco use has on our communities, the deadly costs of commercial tobacco, and local efforts being carried out to address them.

The fight against the tobacco industry is not over. In California, 40,000 people die annually from tobacco, the leading cause of preventable death. The annual cost of smoking cigarettes in California for healthcare and lost productivity is $18.1 billion. Throughout the event, we met with legislators, posted on social media, and raised the visibility of how the impact of commercial tobacco is costly to taxpayers, the economy, the environment, and our health. Tobacco use has also negatively impacted marginalized communities for years. BREATHE staff highlighted the work we have done to move towards advancing tobacco prevention policies and efforts to support smoke-free outdoor worksites, organizing tobacco litter pickups for smoke-free parks, and advocating for smoke-free multi-unit housing.

We thank Senator Angelique Ashby at Senate District 08 and Assembly Member Kevin McCarty at Assembly District 06 for being tobacco prevention champions and spending their time learning how we can come together to save Californians from Big Tobacco’s harm.

To read more on how you can be an advocate against Big Tobacco, follow us on Instagram @sacbreathe and check out the calendar on our website sacbreathe.org to learn about future events and opportunities! #BigBadTobacco will not win. #VoicesAgainstTobacco