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Tobacco in the LGBT Community
The tobacco industry aggressively targets the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community by focusing advertising and sponsorships on themes important to the LGBT community: liberation, individualism, social success and acceptance. As a result, cigarettes have become an ingrained part of the LGBT culture.
Recent surveys by the California Department of Health Services/Tobacco Control Section show that lesbians are more likely to smoke (32.5%) than women in the general population (11.9%). Gay men are more likely to smoke (27.4%) than men in the general population (19.1%). And 44% of young adults 18-24 who self-identify as LGBT use tobacco, compared to 18% of non-LGBT-identified young adults.
These are dangerous statistics considering that smoking is responsible for 80% of all lung cancers. Tobacco use also causes increased risk for cancers of the oral cavity, nasal cavities, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, uterine cervix and myeloid leukemia. Overall, one out of every three cancer deaths is due to tobacco, not to mention the host of other tobacco-related diseases that exist, such as heart disease, stroke and emphysema. Furthermore, research suggests that smoking accelerates the onset of AIDS among people with HIV, and HIV accelerates smoking-induced emphysema.
Proposition 86 is a $2.60 tax per pack of cigarettes that will raise more than $2 billion a year to create tangible solutions to some of California's major health challenges. The tobacco tax would fund numerous programs to prevent deadly, smoking-related diseases. It would encourage people to quit smoking and prevent our youth from lighting up for the first time. With the funds generated by Prop 86, countless under-insured and un-insured Californians will have access to the medical care and support programs they desperately need.
According to the California Department of Health Services, Proposition 86 will:
Prevent 700,000 kids from becoming adult smokers.
Prevent nearly 180,000 deaths due to smoking among California kids now under the age of 17
Prevent approximately 120,000 additional deaths due to smoking among current California adult smokers who quit smoking
Save Californians $16 billion in health care costs
Its certainly not hard to see why reputable organizations such as the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association of California and American Heart Association support Proposition 86 and the positive changes it can bring to our community.
The LGBT community in California has been targeted by the tobacco industry for too long. We now have the opportunity to take a stand against big tobacco and the devastating diseases associated with it.
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