Tobacco use contributes to an extensive list of serious diseases, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, multiple cancers, emphysema, and bronchitis; and second-hand smoke contributes to pediatric illness. In addition to this enormous health burden, smoking also imposes a major economic burden on society, costing the United States more than $300 billion each year, including
- Nearly $170 billion for direct medical care of adults
- More than $156 billion from lost productivity (e.g., increased use of sick leave, etc.) due to premature death.1
Best Resources
(3 pts on CDC Scorecard)
Have and promote a written policy banning tobacco use at your worksite.
- Model Smokefree Workplace Policy (American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation Smokefree Workplace)
- Tobacoo-Free Campus Toolkit (Download the Interactive Action Guide) (Kaiser Permanente)
- Employer’s Toolkit for Smokefree Workplaces and Tobacco Cessation Assistance (Missouri Foundation for Health)
- Making Your Worksite Tobacco-Free (American Lung Association)
Provide and promote free or subsidized lifestyle coaching/counseling or self-management programs that equip employees with skills and motivation to quit using tobacco.
- Get a Plan to Help Employees Quit Smoking (ASHLine)
- ASHLine Services Menu (ASHLine)
Provide financial incentives for being a current non-smoker and for current smokers who are actively trying to quit tobacco by participating in a free or subsidized, evidence-based cessation program.
Provide health insurance coverage with free or subsidized out-of-pocket costs for FDA approved prescription tobacco cessation medications.
- ACA Requirements for Tobacco Cessation (ASHLine)
Better Resources
(2 pts on CDC Scorecard)
Provide and promote interactive educational programming on tobacco cessation.
- Secondhand Smoke Education (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Tips From Former Smokers ® (English and Spanish) (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Quitting is a Journey Education (smokefree.gov)
Provide health insurance coverage with free or subsidized out-of-pocket costs for FDA approved over-the-counter nicotine replacement products.
- ACA Requirements for Tobacco Cessation (ASHLine)
Good Resources
(1 pt on CDC Scorecard)
Provide educational materials that address tobacco cessation.
- Tips From Former Smokers ® (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
Prohibit the sale of tobacco products on company property.
- Sample Tobacco-Free Toolkit and Policy with “No Sale” Language (American Lung Association)
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