2014 -- H 7078

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LC003473

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2014

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES SURGEON

GENERAL'S FIRST REPORT ON SMOKING AND HEALTH

     Introduced By: Representatives Naughton, Ackerman, Slater, Valencia, and Handy

     Date Introduced: January 14, 2014

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, On January 11, 1964, the first United States governmental report on the

negative consequences of smoking was released by then United States Surgeon General Dr.

Luther Terry. This report, and subsequent reports by United States Surgeon General, have

increased our understanding of the devastating health and financial burdens caused by tobacco

use; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island Health Director Michael D. Fine succinctly described the

impact of this anniversary when he said, "The acknowledgement by the United States

Government that smoking causes disease, and in particular fatal lung cancer, ranks with the

chlorination of water, the development of vaccines, and the eradication of smallpox as one of the

signal moments in public health. If a lifetime pack-a-day smoker were given a choice in 1964 of a

way to increase longevity of either quitting smoking or having free access to the best medical care

in the world, there is no question now which would be the right choice. It's quitting smoking. And

it all flowed from the Surgeon General's report of 1964"; and

     WHEREAS, Smoking causes a host of cancers and other illnesses and is the leading

preventable cause of death in the United States, killing 443,000 people each year; and

     WHEREAS, Smoking is estimated to increase the risk of coronary heart disease by 2 to 4

times, the risk of stroke by 2 to 4 times, the risk of men developing lung cancer by 23 times and

the risk of women developing lung cancer by 13 times. If a person has asthma, tobacco use can

trigger an attack or make an attack worse. Smokers are 12 to 13 times more likely to die from

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease than nonsmokers. Cigarette smoking can make it harder

for a woman to get pregnant and can affect her baby's health before and after birth. Smoking

increases the risks for early deliver, stillbirth, low birth weight and for Sudden Infant Death

Syndrome (SIDS). Smoking can make diabetes harder to control and can increase the risk of

cataracts; and

     WHEREAS, Cigarette smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in the human body

including the bladder, bone marrow and blood, cervix, esophagus, kidneys and ureters, larynx,

lungs, mouth, nose and throat, pancreas, stomach and trachea; and

     WHEREAS, Quitting smoking cuts cardiovascular risks. Just one year after quitting

smoking, the risk of a heart attack drops sharply. Within two to five years of quitting smoking,

the risk of stroke falls to about the same as a nonsmoker. If one quits smoking, their risks for

cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder drop by half within five years. Ten years

after one quits smoking, their risk for lung cancer drops by half; and

     WHEREAS, As we approach the 50th Anniversary of the historic release of the first

United States Surgeon General's Report, the Office of the United States Surgeon General will be

working to increase awareness of the lessons learned and the progress that has taken place during

the last 50 years of tobacco control efforts. An important part of this fight is engaging existing

tobacco control, public health, and wellness partners, as well as partnerships with organizations

new to this cause; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the First United States

Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to United States Surgeon General Regina Marcia

Benjamin.

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