Letter to the Editor

Tobacco tax issue: Missourians are paying the price ... one life at a time

Dear editor:

Most of us have lost a loved one due to tobacco-caused diseases. Sadly, because of Missouri's poor track record in preventing tobacco use, sufficient programs are not in place to ensure that the future will be different. Missouri's smoking rates are amongst the highest in the nation and resources to combat the problem are currently zero. Much has been done in other states to combat the health impact of smoking, but little has been done here. Our citizens are paying the price.

Each year 9,475 people in Missouri die from tobacco; this is higher than car crashes, AIDS, illegal drugs, suicides, fires, and homicides combined. Smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States, accounting for more than 440,000 annual deaths, most due to heart disease and stroke. Also, smoking is directly responsible for 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths and 80-90 percent of all emphysema and chronic bronchitis deaths.

A few parts of our community are paying an even higher price than others. Consider African Americans as an example: African Americans are more likely to develop and die from cancer than persons of any other racial or ethnic group. Almost one in four African-American adults in Missouri is a smoker and according to a Tobacco-Free Kids study, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in African Americans and the most deadly.

The dangerous toxins in cigarette smoke can have a lasting impact on a child's health.

According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control, children under 3 exposed to smoke are twice as likely to have chronic respiratory conditions like asthma and bronchitis.

We cannot ensure Missourians a healthier place to live without dramatic declines in the rate of tobacco use among teenagers and adults. During the past five years Missouri received more than $1 billion dollars from the tobacco lawsuit settlement to be spent on tobacco prevention and cessation education. Sadly, none of these dollars have been directed towards these life-saving and cost-saving efforts.

Other states have proven that prevention programs work. For example, the Oregon Department of Human and Health Services reported that a one-year program in Oregon led to more than $1 million in savings in costs to care for low birth weight babies due to a 28 percent drop in smoking during pregnancy. Mississippi's five-year effort reduced its smoking rate among middle school children by 48 percent and high school youth by 32 percent. Indiana took only four years to reduce its smoking rate among middle school children by 20 percent and high school youth by 32 percent.

Finally, according to a report by the Center for Disease Control, a seven-year program in California saved $390 million by reducing heart attacks and strokes plus $100 million more by lowering the number of pregnant women who smoke.

Overall, for every $1 spent on cutting smoking, California's taxpayers saved $3.62.

Examples such as this show that by reducing tobacco use in Missouri, we can also relieve some of the serious financial burdens facing our heath care system. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the U.S. Disease Control and Prevention reports tobacco use costs Missouri $4.3 billion in health care and lost productivity dollars annually; that is $760 for every man, woman and child in the state every year. A large portion of these costs are shouldered by Missouri taxpayers.

Missouri has the second lowest cigarette tax in the country. An effective way to curb smoking and add money to smoking prevention programs is to raise the cigarette tax from the paltry 17 cents a pack to 97 cents a pack (the national average is 91 cents). By doing so, the American Lung Association estimates we can potentially raise $351 million for health care and anti-tobacco programs.

The evidence is there: We know the health costs of smoking.

We know the economic impact. And most importantly, we know many of the faces of those who are no longer with us because of the effects of smoking.

Now is the time to stop the cycle and make Missouri a healthier place today and into the future.

Jim R. Blaine, MD

Blaine is the chair of the Missouri Partnership on Smoking or Health.