How much money does tobacco usage cost the United States in medical expenses and lost productivity?

In the United States, tobacco is one of the most heavily advertised cash crops. Companies spend billions promoting their product all throughout the world and for some reason, people continue to look past the high costs, direct and indirect costs, and purchase their products. To be specific, according to the CDC, "In 2011, the tobacco industry spent $8.37 billion on cigarette advertising and promotional expenses in the United States alone." The scary thing is, this number is miniscule compared to the health and productivity costs of using tobacco. "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that tobacco costs Americans $97 billion in lost productivity plus $96 billion in healthcare costs." Those numbers were taken from 2000-2004, roughly $24.5 billion a year and that was over a decade ago. Another statistic I'm sure would be outrageous is the difference in insurance prices for tobacco users versus non-tobacco users.

Another frightening statistic is that, according to the CDC, "Cigarette smoking results in 5.1 million years of potential life lost in the United States annually." The thousands of dollars people spend each year on tobacco is going towards a product that only decreases one's quality of life and that money could be beneficial in so many other ways.

Marcus AW

Resources
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/economics/econ_facts/