As if the negative physical and mental affects weren't enough, the financial costs of smoking over the course of a lifetime are pretty unreal!

I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. I've never had the interest or desire to do so, and -- for better or for worse -- I didn't grow up in a home or environment where it was encouraged or common. I did have grandparents who smoked; I'll always remember the smell of cigarettes and yellow-stained walls of my grandma's three-season porch-turned-smoking-room. As a kid, I always hated going into that room; it was smelly and made my lungs burn and eyes water. Oddly enough, it was also a place filled with love and nostalgia.

I hardly need to list off the countless negative physical side effects of smoking: risk of bronchitis, lung cancer, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, heart disease, high cholesterol, weakened immune system, infertility, unhealthy teeth, poor vision, anxiety and irritability and more. As if the physical effects of smoking weren't enough, the financial cost is exorbitant! According to Wallethub, smoking costs the U.S. more than $300 billion a year (that number includes both medical care and lost productivity). WalletHub broke that number down further, calculating the true per-person costs of smoking in each state. Assuming that an adult smokes a pack of cigarettes a day starting at the age of 21, here's what they determined:

The top 10 states (including Washington D.C.) where the financial costs of smoking are the highest are:

1. Masschusettes
2. District of Columbia
3. New York
4. Connecticut
5. Rhode Island
6. Hawaii
7. Minnesota
8. Alaska
9. Washington
10. California

As you can see from the list, Minnesota -- which was recently named one of the fittest states in the U.S. -- ranked as one of the most expensive states for smokers at No. 45 overall. According to WalletHub, the average annual cost of smoking in Minnesota is $59,336 and over the course of a lifetime costs Minnesotans $2,848,128. In Massachusetts -- ranked the most expensive state for smokers -- the annual average cost of smoking is $66,078. In contrast, Mississippi's annual average cost of smoking is just $35,344.

Just to reiterate, these numbers are not the out-of-pocket costs of buying tobacco products, but also include financial opportunity costs, Healthcare costs, income loss costs and other expenses.

You can see WalletHub's full report here.

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