A recent study found that many smokers from West Virginia refuse to quit smoking. It showed that Charleston has more smokers than any city in the United States. And Huntington is in the third place taking in consideration the smokers rate.

So, all these findings are very troubling. The health results of smoking are well known by all inhabitants, smokers and nonsmokers. They all know that cigarettes can cause cancer and lung and heart diseases. The human misery from tobacco use is hesitating. And the cost of curing tobacco-related illnesses also is stagnating, and many nonsmokers support the treatment of those who suffer from those diseases.

While some anti-tobacco researchers want to see the state spend more its money for special educational programs which have only one goal to convince smokers to kick their smoking habit, state leaders have been averse over time to take the harshest action like increase the tax of all smoking brands. Of course such an action would discourage smoking among all inhabitants especially among kids and poor smokers.

For intentionally profitable reasons, West Virginia legislators have been less than active in established higher taxes on all smoking products. However, West Virginia does not have a history as an important tobacco-manufacturing state, because it is joined with North Carolina, Virginia and other mainly southern states with one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation, only 55 cents per pack of cigarettes.

While legislators have raised tobacco tax in recent years, West Virginia’s rate remains far under the national average of $1.42 per pack. This finding show that West Virginia could double the tax on the cigarettes sales, and that smoking rate still would be far behind the national average.

So, only the government anti-tobacco actions, especially tobacco tax policies, can have positive effects like decreasing smoking among inhabitants. Health experts consider that the only escape is to convince smokers and children to quit and never start smoking again. And only increasing taxes on cigarettes would convince smokers to quit easier.

As it is known, West Virginia stands outside the mainstream of American life because state officials refuse to establish a new tax increase that would encourage healthier lifestyles and help the state to reduce health costs the public must endure.

!!! Annonce !!! Forum Marlboro.