Smoking ban makes sense in public housing

There’s a cruel irony about smoking: Those who can least afford to smoke are the ones most likely to. Higher-income, well-educated people have all but given up smoking in recent years.

The 17 percent of adults who do still smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control, are disproportionately low-educated and more likely to be on Medicaid – the health care program for those with limited resources.

Too many of these low-income people are spending a big share of what little income they have on cigarettes. And as any smoker can testify, the price of smoking has risen significantly in recent years. A one-pack-a-day habit costs more than $5,000 a year; even rolling your own costs more than $1,850 a year.

Read the article on Tacoma News Tribune.