two discussions answers needed

November 21, 2017

Background

· Tobacco use has harmed Americans

· Since the first Surgeon General’s report on tobacco in 1964, 20 million Americans have died because of smoking related illnesses.

· Currently, more than 16 million Americans are living with a diseased caused by tobacco use.

· Tobacco related illness costs more than $300 billion each year in the United States.

· Tobacco use is closely associated with the following diseases:

· cancer,

· heart disease,

· stroke,

· premature birth,

· reduced fertility,

· stillbirth, and

· Type 2 diabetes.

· Addressing tobacco use is an enumerated goal of Healthy People 2020

· Healthy People 2020’s tobacco related goal is, “reduce illness, disability and death related to tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure.

· Healthy People 2020 provides a frame work to accomplish this goal which includes:

· Increasing the price of tobacco

· Enacting comprehensive smoke-free policies

· Reducing tobacco advertising and promotion directed at children

· Fully funding tobacco control programs at CDC-recommended levels

Issues

· Tobacco use is more prevalent among the poor

· Prevalence of tobacco use in individuals at or above the poverty level is 13.9%

· Prevalence of tobacco use in individuals below the poverty level is 26.1%

· Tobacco products often represent more than 10% of total household expenditure in impoverished households.

· Individuals living in poverty smoke cigarettes for a duration of nearly twice as many years as people with a family income of three times the poverty rate.

· Tobacco use is more prevalent among people with less formal education

· Prevalence of tobacco use in individuals with less than a high school education is 24.2%

· Prevalence of tobacco use in individuals with a GED is 34.1%

· Prevalence of tobacco use in individuals with an undergraduate degree is 7.4%

· Prevalence of tobacco use in individuals with a graduate degree is 3.6%

· Individuals with a high school education smoke cigarettes for a duration of more than twice as many years as people with at least a bachelor’s degree.

· Tobacco use impacts different racial/ethnic groups differently.

· American Indian/Alaska Natives – 21.9%

· Asians – 7%

· Blacks – 16.7%

· Hispanics – 10.1

· Multiple Races – 20.2%

· White (non-Hispanic) - 16.6%

· The tobacco industry specifically targets their products towards those of lower socioeconomic status

· Research has found a higher density of tobacco retailers in low-income neighborhoods.

· The tobacco industry targets women of low socioeconomic status through distribution of coupons, point-of-sale discounts, direct-mail coupons, and development of brands that appeal to poor women.

Biblical Applications

· “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

· The bible makes it clear here that there is not a biblical utility to some things, even when those things are accepted by others in a community, such as tobacco use.

· This verse also makes clear that whenever something is a ‘master’ over you, there is a biblical conflict. Such as the mastery that nicotine addiction can have over someone’s life.

· Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. Philippians 3:19

· This verse explains that our appetites can be a source of our shame and can become a deity like figure.

· God makes clear that we are to have no other God before him, so anything that takes precedence over him is a source of sin and should be addressed.

· Nicotine addiction is a substance which ignites an insatiable craving which can become a deity like interference with an individual’s walk with Jesus.

· Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. Proverbs 23:2

· This verse reminds us to be very weary of overconsumption.

· This verse also seems to suggest that some individuals are more susceptible to overconsumption than others.

· Perhaps there is a useful lesson contained in this verse about the correlation of tobacco consumption and poverty?

· Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Galatians 6:7

· There are very real consequences for our actions, both in this life and the next.

· This verse reminds us of the importance to speak truth with authority, even when that truth is hard to deliver.

· Tobacco use must be viewed and addressed with judicious expediency because the consequences might not be immediate, but they will have an impact on the health of a population eventually.

· The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. Matthew 25:40

· God calls us to care for each other, but there is a special calling for those who are advantaged to help the poor in our communities.

· The purposeful exploitation of the poor is unacceptable go the Creator.

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