A Bump On Tobacco Road
In North Carolina, the governor may be the top public official, but for the past 200 years tobacco has been king. The state grows half of all the tobacco in the United States, and the original cash crop remains its economic backbone. But beginning next month, North Carolina will be home to one of the nation's toughest youth smoking laws, with a ban on tobacco use in public schools. Most students can't smoke at school anyway, but the law applies to everyone on campus, year-round: parents in the stands at football games, maintenance crews in the school garage, teachers in the parking lot.
Getting the law passed was no simple feat in a state that still depends on people lighting up. North Carolina spends just 4 percent of its annual $426 million of tobacco revenue on smoking prevention (less than half the minimum federal recommendation), and, at 35 cents, maintains one of the country's lowest cigarette taxes. In all, it took six years of local advocacy and the votes of all 115 of the state's school boards. "It wasn't easy," says Mark Ezell, the state's tobacco-free-campus director. "I got called a Nazi a few times." Health advocates who want the state to go further are likely to be called a few more things.
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Member Comments
Posted By: maggiemae656 @ 08/01/2008 11:39:09 PM
Comment: What is government trying to do, look like they're doing something? Why is it the only thing they actually accomplish is the removal of personal rights from American citizens? Aren't there more pressing issues to deal with than adult smoking? To all government officials...earn your pay and stay out of our personal business. Make a name for yourself doing something worthwhile for a change. Bring back jobs and salaries to the U.S. and then we can discuss public smoking.
Posted By: sjbrock80 @ 07/28/2008 6:30:31 PM
Comment: Why is it that our bleeding heart country has such love for all the little "oppressed" people in society, but no love for smokers? We should start banning gays from being near schools too, in my opinion. They cause more health issues than smokers. Let's see how far that bill goes. Oh no, we don't want to hurt the little fruits' feelings. They might dress in drag and march on Washington.
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