As Mississippi politicians argue over whether to increase the cigarette tax, a new federal report shows the state is tied for the third-highest rate of adults who smoked in 2006.
A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that in Mississippi and Oklahoma, 25.1 percent of adults ages 18-35 said they were smokers.
The figures, based on a random sample of 6,000 people, were published in Friday's edition of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
This is really sad when you think about how we had what was considered one of the best anti-smoking programs in the nation; a program that was killed by Haley Barbour.
In 2006, Gov. Haley Barbour vetoed two bills that would've increased the cigarette tax and decreased the grocery tax. Mississippi has the nation's highest state sales tax on groceries, 7 percent.
Eaves:
"Cigarettes are cheap, and our children are getting hooked on them because the taxes are too low," Eaves said in Biloxi.
The CDC report showed smoking among adults was highest in Kentucky, 28.6 percent, and lowest in Utah, 9.8 percent. Utah had the highest rate of adults who have quit smoking, at 47.9 percent.
"Effective, comprehensive tobacco-use prevention and control programs should be continued and expanded to further reduce smoking initiation by young persons and to encourage cessation as early in life as possible," the CDC report said.
So we need something like say The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi?
We need a governor who understands the needs of Mississippians and who won't stand in the way of progress.
I just think of those Delta towns that have a stop sign a grocery store and a couple of gas stations. Maybe a police officer or two. If there is no gracery tax then where does the money for those police men go? Grocery tax is the only heart beat for many small towns in our state. If there was not a grocery tax, then property tax would have to make up the difference. I know Eaves claims tobacco tax can make up for the cut in grocery tax, but everybody has to eat, not everyone smokes. There would be a huge short fall in taxes to make up for the grocery tax. I dont know, just a thought.
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