We are blessed to live in a remarkably free country and I am proud to have served as a US Army paratrooper in Iraq and Afghanistan. Freedom, however, comes at a price.
For generations, big tobacco companies have invested billions in advertising designed to get young Americans hooked as smokers for life. Big profits for them has meant big problems for the rest of us. My grandfather was a military veteran, a smoker and we lost him when I was very young.
Treating tobacco-related diseases among our Medicaid recipients costs over $81 million dollars every year. Tobacco related diseases create massive liabilities for taxpayers through Medicare and for everyone who pays for private health insurance as well.
By voting YES on I-185, you can help make sure that those who choose to smoke will pay for the health costs of that choice. By voting YES on I-185, you can also help encourage those who smoke to quit and save their family members from the pain of losing a loved one at a young age.
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