Tobacco Policy

Tobacco

West Virginia has:

third highest adult smoking rate in the U.S. at 26.7%;
highest rate of spit tobacco use among men at 15.9%;
triple the U.S. rate of pregnant smokers at 36%

Smoking-Related Economic Costs to West Virginia
Smoking-related economic costs can be separated into 1) direct health care costs related to cigarette smoking and 2) productivity losses due to
smoking-related deaths. Combined, these smoking-related costs totaled between $1.98 billion and $2.39 billion among West Virginia adults in
2006.6

In 2006, smoking-related direct health care costs totaled $1.3 billion. This equals $3,388 per every adult smoker or $718 per every West Virginia resident.
In each year 2002-2006, productivity losses due to smoking related deaths among adults age 35 and older, averaged $1.09 billion. This equals $2,848 per every adult smoker or $605 per every West Virginia resident.
Total smoking-related health care costs and productivity losses equal $6,236 annually per adult smoker or $1,323 per every West Virginia resident.
Each West Virginia adult age 35 and older who died from a smoking-related illness represented a loss of nearly $288,000 in wages and future earnings.¹

Worksite Options offered by WCWV

Worksite Tobacco Policy Program

WV State Facts