Each year in Oregon, tobacco use kills nearly 7,000 people. It claims more lives than motor vehicle crashes, suicide, AIDS and murders combined. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in Oregon and the nation.

Tobacco use costs Oregonians almost $2.4 billion annually — a staggering financial burden — of particular concern at a time of serious economic difficulties in the state. As a state, we simply cannot afford tobacco.

• Read the complete Oregon Statewide Tobacco Control Plan.