National Advocacy Organization: Nebraska Should Do More to Help Smokers Quit, Keep Kids from StartingCarter Steger, a senior director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, told the Nebraska Radio Network that Nebraska isn’t following through on its promises to invest a certain percentage of its winnings from the landmark 1998 tobacco court settlement in prevention programs.
“
Nebraska is only spending just a little under $3-million on tobacco prevention and control. The Centers for Disease Control recommends Nebraska should be spending $21.5-million, so you can see Nebraska has a lot of room to grow. That’s only 13.7 percent and that’s actually down from the 2010 figures,” according to Steger.
Cigarette Tax Increase Proposal Said to Encourage Smokers to Quit, Drive Customers Out of StateSupporters for a bill that would increase the tax on cigarettes from 64 cents per pack to $1.99 per pack sounded off in the Lincoln Journal Star, the Omaha World Herald and the Fremont Tribune this week. Letter-writer Jennifer Borer told the Lincoln Journal Star that she supports an
increase in the tax on cigarettes. She said she quit smoking in early 2009 because of the price and concern for her health, and that her dad quit smoking ten years ago because of cost and health. The Omaha World Herald published a letter from the Nebraska Hospital Association also supporting
increasing the tax on cigarettes. "The $1.35 per pack tax increase would tremendously help save lives and save Nebraska $436.3 million in long-term
tobacco-related health care costs. It would also prevent 19,500 Nebraska children from ever picking up the habit, while encouraging 10,000 adult smokers to quit," according to a letter signed by Marilyn Wise, Diane Wilson and Tarah Sorensen published in the Fremont Tribune.
The
bill to increase the tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products excluding snuff, LB436, was heard Friday by the Revenue Committee. "We need to understand that
smoking-related disease and illness is the number one public health problem in this country," the bill's sponsor Sen. Mike Gloor was quoted in the Lincoln Journal Star. State senators were told Friday that
tripling the state’s tax on cigarettes would snuff out business for Nebraska retailers, forcing a exodus of customers to Iowa and Missouri, where they could save as much as $18 per carton, as reported by the Omaha World Herald.
The cigarette bill hearing also drew the attention of KNEB, 10/11 news and Action 3 News.
MSA Enforcement Bill Heard by Revenue CommitteeLB590, introduced by Sen. Mike Gloor of Grand Island,
would require tribes to make payments to Nebraska in order for the state to continue receiving millions of dollars each year through a national settlement agreement that was reached with the four largest tobacco companies in 1998.
Nebraska is fighting the tobacco companiesover demands that states force smaller tobacco companies, including those operated by tribes, to also make payments to the states for smoking-related medical costs, the Lincoln Journal Star quoted David Cookson, chief deputy attorney general.
Lance Morgan, CEO of Ho-Chunk and a member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, spoke in opposition to LB590, saying it would reduce the competitiveness of
tribal manufacturers of tobacco products, as reported by the Unicameral Update. The tribe receives no benefit from the MSA, he said, so mandating escrow deposits would hurt tribal revenues and businesses.
Childrens' Ear Infections Drop; Reduction in Secondhand Smoke from Parents May Be the Reason Ear infections, a scourge that has left countless tots screaming through the night, have fallen dramatically, and some researchers suggest a decline in smoking by parents might be part of the reason, according to KLKN TV.
Health officials report nearly a 30 percent drop over 15 years in young children's doctor visits for ear infections. That's half a million fewer trips to the doctor on average.
Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Considers Banning Tobacco at Courthouse Jefferson County Board officials are considering prohibiting smoking and tobacco use on courthouse grounds in Fairbury. That's according to a story in the Beatrice Daily Sun.
Board chairman Michael Dux said the ban would likely start on the courthouse grounds, but could expand to other county property. Other departments would have the authority to make similar decisions, according to Dux.
"Most all agencies say that smoking is hazardous
to your health," Dux said. "I
think it's certainly not good
for patients to breathe in
smoke on ambulance
employee's uniforms."
Secondhand Smoke Can Lead to Vision ProblemsAccording to an article published in the Sheridan County Journal Star, the American Optometric Association says that secondhand smoke can cause problems with vision. The chemicals damage the most vulnerable tissues, causing
loss of vision through blood vesselsbursting or the slow death of macular cells.
Tobacco Compliance 100 percent in Colfax CountyTobacco Free Colfax County,
in cooperation with the
Schuyler Police Department,
performed tobacco
checks in January in Colfax County to determine compliance with Nebraska law prohibiting sales of tobacco products to minors, according to the Schuyler Sun. Of the 11 businesses
checked, none sold
tobacco to minors, resulting
in a compliance rate of
100 percent.
For these checks,
cooperating minors use
their own identification
and make no attempt to
look over the legal age of 18
years.
"Nebraska law prohibits the salf of tobacco to minors,"
said Brenda Preister, coordinator of Tobacco Free Colfax County. "Compliance with the
law is an important measure
in preventing kids from
experimenting with tobacco."
"Once
young people start to use
tobacco, they later find it's
a very difficult process to
quit, because they've become
addicted to nicotine ," Preister said.
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