A recent report shows smoking costs the U.S. economy more than $600 billion every year. That figure includes both medical care and lost productivity as a result of smoking. Cassandra Happe is an analyst with the personal finance website WalletHub. She discussed the study's results.
That study also compared the costs of smoking on a state by state basis. While Georgia was considered one of the least expensive states for smokers, Happe says the habit still costs residents thousands of dollars each year.
According to the American Lung Association, tobacco use results in nearly half a million deaths annually in the U.S. There are an estimated 28 million tobacco users in the nation.
