WHEREAS, Rhode Island has the highest smoking-attributable economic costs in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island has the third highest rate of pregnant women who smoke; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island has the highest smoking rates (tied with Kentucky) among reproductive age women; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island's direct annual medical costs related to smoking total $186,000,000; and

WHEREAS, 21,541 years or an average of 11.5 years of potential life are lost for each death due to smoking (calculated to life expectancy); and

WHEREAS, Medicaid annual costs attributable to smoking are estimated to be in the millions of dollars; and

WHEREAS, Cigarette smoking contributes substantially to health care costs for the Rhode Island Medicaid program, and raises important issues for public health practice; and

WHEREAS, Respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms, perinatal conditions, and burn related injuries are smoking-attributable costs that substantially increase Rhode Island's Medicaid health care cost; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations hereby respectfully requests the Attorney General to initiate action against tobacco companies that would result in reimbursement to the State of Rhode Island for the costs incurred by the Medicaid program for expenses related to the prevalence of smoking among the Medicaid population, which will not only lead to health care cost savings, but may also improve the quality of life of Rhode Island's citizens; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Attorney General will be provided with the resources to carry out the requested action of this resolution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the secretary of state be and he hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Honorable Jeffrey Pine, Attorney General.