Give Nevada some credit on tobacco

By Nevada Appeal editorial board

It's a shame the only way Nevada was able to improve its grade with the American Lung Association on tobacco use was by raising taxes on cigarettes.

The shame comes because cigarette taxes were raised as a way to increase revenue, and health concerns weren't much more than an afterthought.

The American Lung Association gave Nevada an "F" - again - for its effort to fight smoking, and there's no doubt the state is among the worst in the nation for risks to people for tobacco-related illnesses and deaths.

It received the lowest grades possible in smoke-free air, youth access to tobacco, and smoking prevention and control. The only area it improved, cigarette taxes, went from "D" grade to "C" with the increase to 85 cents in tax per pack.

The Lung Association is to be applauded for its single-minded mission to eradicate smoking, and for keeping the health problems it creates in the public eye. However, that strict focus also is likely to keep it in conflict with Nevada's policymakers and some segment of the public, ensuring that it will be a long, long time before the state gets straight "A"s on a report card.

Even California, where smoking is banned in every public place and many private ones, didn't get unanimously high marks - because its tax on cigarettes isn't high enough.

New Jersey, which got an "A" in taxes for its rate of $2.05 per pack, got "F" grades in every other category. We suspect it's a matter of revenue there, too, rather than health priorities.

Taxing people into compliance isn't our idea of government's purpose. And that's where the American Lung Association is going to continue to run into conflict in Nevada, where the prevailing philosophy remains allowing people the freedom to make their own choices.

That's why the state should get credit for its efforts toward prevention and education. We also will continue to favor use of Nevada's tobacco-settlement money toward Millennium Scholarships, because of the broader good they do for the state's young people.

There are several positive results in the state's efforts against tobacco that have nothing to do with taxes.