Rural‐urban disparities in tobacco use and the role of pharmacists in closing the gap

The prevalence of smoking among adults in the US has declined significantly in the last half-century, from 42% in 1965 to 14% in 2019. While these declines have been hailed as a major public health achievement, rural populations have not experienced the same reductions and corresponding health benefits. Since the 1980s, the gap in all-cause-mortality rates in the US has been widening between rural and urban populations. Despite decades of research supporting the impact of evidence-based smoking cessation, proven methods for quitting are underutilized.