While 14 percent of women stated on birth records in 1998 that they smoked during their pregnancies, Dr. Mary Guinan estimated the true number was 25 percent to 28 percent. These women also tend to abuse alcohol and marijuana.
Smoking is an indication of a risk-taking person.
Guinan said not enough smoking cessation programs are available, and one that works must be found for pregnant women. The money is to compensate states for the costs they incur in paying the health care costs of indigent smokers. Smoking by their mothers is the primary cause for low birth-weight babies, or those who weigh less than 5.5 pounds. About 7.4 percent of Nevada's newborns fall into this category, a percentage that has increased in the last decade. Fifty percent of these children suffer physical and mental disorders during their lives, according to Guinan.