House Resolution 143 PAG LIN 1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 1 2 BY WHITAKER, STEVENS, BELL, COHOON, SWAIM, 1 3 D. TAYLOR, THOMAS, MILLER, MERTZ, SMITH, KUHN, FOEGE, 1 4 WHITEAD, LYKAM, WENDT, GREIMANN, JACOBY, LENSING, 1 5 HOGG, SHOMSHOR, and OSTERHAUS 1 6 A Resolution urging all Iowans to kick the habit of 1 7 smoking. 1 8 WHEREAS, nearly one=third of all cancer deaths are 1 9 related to tobacco use according to the National 1 10 Cancer Institute; and 1 11 WHEREAS, the National Center for Tobacco=Free Kids 1 12 reports that 4,600 Iowans die each year from tobacco= 1 13 related causes and that tobacco use costs Iowa 1 14 business $824 million per year in lost productivity, 1 15 and costs the Iowa Medicaid system $235 million per 1 16 year; and 1 17 WHEREAS, the same report estimates that 23 percent 1 18 of Iowa adults and 27 percent of Iowa high school 1 19 students smoke cigarettes; and 1 20 WHEREAS, 9,400 Iowa young people under 18 years of 1 21 age start smoking each year; and 1 22 WHEREAS, secondhand smoke increases upper 1 23 respiratory infections, aggravates asthma, and causes 1 24 heart disease and cancer in nonsmokers who are exposed 1 25 to the secondhand smoke; and 1 26 WHEREAS, Just Eliminate Lies clubs have been 1 27 established at schools throughout the state to dispel 1 28 the untruths spread by tobacco companies that would 1 29 have consumers believe that smoking is an acceptable 1 30 human behavior; and 2 1 WHEREAS, tobacco use causes more deaths per year 2 2 than alcohol, illegal drugs, car accidents, AIDS, 2 3 suicides, fires, and murders combined; and 2 4 WHEREAS, tobacco use is the most preventable cause 2 5 of serious illness; and 2 6 WHEREAS, the Iowa Quitline has been established to 2 7 help smokers quit by calling 1=866=U=CAN=TRY; NOW 2 8 THEREFORE, 2 9 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2 10 That Wednesday, March 31, 2004, shall be declared Iowa 2 11 Kick Butts Day and that all Iowans who smoke are 2 12 encouraged to quit smoking for the day and to take 2 13 serious steps to quit smoking for good. 2 14 LSB 6920HH 80 2 15 rj/gg/14