ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, November 8, 1996 TAG: 9611080080
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A9 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
California is rapidly snuffing out smoking through higher cigarette taxes and anti-tobacco campaigns, the government said Thursday.
Only 15.5 percent of California adults smoked regularly in 1995, down from 26 percent in 1984, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a state-by-state look at smoking.
By comparison, Kentucky, one of the nation's top tobacco-producing states, had the highest smoking rate in 1995, with 27.8 percent of adults saying they light up regularly. Kentucky has long been near the top.
Utah had the lowest smoking rate, 13.2 percent. It has been near the bottom for the last four years, probably because of the large Mormon influence.
California was among the first states to ask voters whether they wanted higher taxes on cigarettes. Voters in 1989 raised the tax from 10 cents to 35 cents a pack. Massachusetts followed suit in 1993, going from 26 cents to 51 cents a pack. Kentucky's tax on cigarettes is 3 cents a pack.
In California, the extra revenue goes toward state anti-smoking campaigns, including TV and radio public service announcements, hot lines and programs in schools.
``This strategy is one of the most effective ways of decreasing cigarette consumption, both by pricing out teen-agers and encouraging adults to cut out smoking,'' said Michael Eriksen, director of the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health.
The CDC estimated that California adults, on average, will buy 75 packs of cigarettes each this year, down from 89 in 1992. Adults in Massachusetts will buy about 94 packs each in 1996, down from 117.
John Banzhaf, executive director of the Washington-based Action on Smoking and Health, said higher taxes are the best way to curb smoking among teen-agers.
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB