Secondhand smoke costs the state of Indiana $1.3 billion – yes, billion with a “b” — per year, a new study shows.
The study, by Indiana University’s School of Medicine, comes as the state considers enacting a smokefree workplace law.
Clearly, it should. The numbers alone are staggering – the cost of secondhand smoke amounts to $201 per Hoosier per year. And 1,400 of the 50,000 deaths that are attributable each year in the U.S. to secondhand smoke occur in Indiana.
What are Indiana lawmakers waiting for?