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Ch. 17
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2000 LAWS OF MARYLAND
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Preamble
WHEREAS, Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the
United States; and
WHEREAS, Each year the use of tobacco products kill kills over 7,500
Marylanders; and
WHEREAS, Tobacco is a risk factor for the top four leading causes of death in
Maryland (heart disease, stroke, cancer, and pulmonary disease); and
WHEREAS, Among Maryland adolescents, smoking prevalence increased
during the 1990s after several years of decline; and
WHEREAS, In 1997, the economic burden of cancer and other tobacco related
diseases increased by 2% and cost Marylanders over 1.8 billion dollars; and
WHEREAS, Certain demographic groups remain at higher risk for tobacco use
and often bear a disproportionate share of the human and economic cost of using
tobacco products; and
WHEREAS, Tobacco is a leading risk factor in the development of many cancers;
including cancer of the cervix, pancreas, kidney, bladder, esophagus, oral cavity and
pharynx, larynx, and lung; and
WHEREAS, No single factor determines patterns of tobacco use: the patterns
result from a complex interaction of multiple factors such as socioeconomic status,
cultural characteristics, stress, biological events, targeted marketing, tobacco pricing,
and varying capacities of local communities to launch and sustain comprehensive
tobacco control activities; and
WHEREAS, Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Maryland and one of
every five deaths in Maryland is due to cancer; and
WHEREAS, Each year approximately 24,000 Marylanders are diagnosed with
cancer and more than 10,000 Marylanders die of cancer; and
WHEREAS, Maryland's cancer incidence and mortality rates are consistently
higher than national rates; and
WHEREAS, The burden of cancer differs markedly among racial and ethnic
groups, with cancer incidence and mortality rates higher for African-Americans and
certain other minority groups; and
WHEREAS, There are areas and neighborhoods of cancer clusters; and
WHEREAS, Studies show that financial barriers be cancer screening, early
detection services, and treatment are significant factors in the disparities for cancer
incidence and mortality; and
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- 188 -
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