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It's a New Day in Public Health.

The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.

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General Tobacco Information

Florida Department of Health Franklin County

  •  (850) 653-2111
  •  

    Fax

    (850) 653-9896
  •  

    Mailing Address

    Florida Department of Health Franklin County 

    139 12th Street 

    Apalachicola, Florida 32320 

Our Mission:

To increase awareness of the dangers of tobacco use.

Our Goals:

  • Prevention - reduce the number of youth who begin using tobacco by empowering youth and adults in anti-tobacco advocacy and policy making through education and training
  • Environment - eliminate second hand smoke exposure in the community
  • Cessation - decrease the number of youth and adults who are using tobacco

Program Actions:

  • Increase awareness of key tobacco issues
  • Engagement in the Policy Process regarding tobacco issues
  • Promote tobacco cessation
  • Create, maintain and improve effective tobacco control organizations

Tobacco Facts

  • Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States.
  • An estimated 32,000 Floridians die each year from smoking related causes.
  • More than 2.5 million Floridians, 14.7% of the adult population, are current cigarette smokers.
  • Each day more than 4,100 young people between 12 and 17 years of age smoke their first cigarette and 850 become daily smokers.
  • More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
  • A smoker inhales only 15% of the smoke from a cigarette; the other 85% becomes second-hand smoke.
  • Children exposed to second hand smoke have more asthma attacks, sinus & ear infections, allergies, bronchitis, pneumonia and croup.
  • Smoking can decrease a person's life expectancy up to 10 years.
  • Cigarette smoking during pregnancy can result in low birth weight babies.
  • Smoking has been associated with infertility, miscarriages, tubal pregnancies, infant mortality and childhood morbidity.
  • Additionally, cigarette smoking may cause long-term learning disabilities.
  • Each day 88 Floridians die as a result of tobacco use.