WEDNESDAY, JULY3, 2002
THE UNIVERSITYDAILYKANSAN = 9
Cigarette tax increase burns holes in smokers' wallets
Jay Pilgreen Kansan staff writer
Since Monday, students who smoke have found the cost of their cigarettes has gone up. The increase is due to a state-imposed cigarette tax, which raised the price 46 cents per pack.
Jamie Lett, manager of Tobacco Express,
2104 A. W. 25th St., said the normal price for premium packs increased from $3.66 to
$4.14. She said prices for premium cartons increased from $31.31 to $36.16.
She said customers were shocked, but they bought cigarettes anyway.
"We had some regular customers buy two or three cartons and stock up." Lett said.
Lett said she doubted the increased tax would deter business.
Students might choose to find alternatives to their current smoking habits. Andrew McLaughlin, a recent graduate from Midland, Texas, said he would buy cigarettes by the carton, which contain 10 packs of cigarettes.
McLaughlin said he smoked about a pack a day, and despite the increase in price, would continue smoking.
"I don't anticipate quitting anytime soon," he said.
McLaughlin said the worst part of the price increase might come when he
bought cigarettes at bars or restaurants.
Current prices average $5 per pack, but
prices could go higher. McLaughlin said
he didn't like paying $5 or more for a pack,
but would if he had to.
"Money doesn't seem to be quite as important when I'm out," he said.
The increase raises the tax on cigarettes from 24 cents to 70 cents, and accompanies a slew of changes designed to help the state through its budget crisis.
Along with cigarettes, the retail sales tax rate increased from 4.9 to 5.3 until July 1, 2004. Motor fuel taxes increased 2 cents per gallon, raising gasoline to 23 cents and diesel to 25 cents. Vehicle registration fees increased from $25 to $30 for most cars and from $35 to $40 for most light trucks and some sport utility vehicles.
The bill also institutes new laws and programs throughout the state.
Consumers can avoid telemarketing calls by joining a "no call" list maintained by the Direct Marketing Association for $5. Cock fighting has also been banned. Cock fighting previously fell under animal cruelty laws, and some legislators said the lack of specific ban made it difficult to prosecute offenders.
Contact Pilgren at jpilgreen@kansan.com.
This story was edited by Matt Stumpf.
HEALTH REPORT
Smoking increases deaths
Cancer more prevalent in smoker-dense Appalachia
The Associated Press
Death rates from cancer are higher in Appalachia than in the rest of the United States, and smoking is a key culprit, researchers concluded.
For every 100,000 people living in Appalachia, there were 173.1 cancer deaths during a 1994-98 study period, compared with 166.7 cancer deaths per 100,000 nationally for the same period.
While death rates from breast, cervical and colorectal cancers varied, only lung cancer death rates were almost universally higher in Appalachia than in the rest of the country.
In rural sections of Appalachia, the number rose to 176.3, according to research conducted at the University of Kentucky and Penn State in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nationally, there were 48.9 lung cancer deaths per 100,000 people during the study period. In Appalachia, the rate was 53.9, and in rural counties, 57.2—almost
The study, released in late June, looked at Appalachia's 13-state region, from New York to Mississippi, and 266 rural counties. West Virginia is the only state that lies entirely within the region.
17 percent above the national average.
"If you take lung (cancer) out of the mix, the Appalachian rates are lower, and I think that's a powerful message," said lead investigator Stephen W. Wyatt, associate director for cancer control at the University of Kentucky's Markey Cancer Center.
"The numbers are so amazingly large, the number of deaths are on the lung side, they just drive all cancer rates up in Appalachia."
While a number of factors contribute to the higher rates, including limited access to heath care facilities and lack of insurance, Wyatt cited another culprit — "the epidemic of male smoking in Appalachia."
The lung cancer death rate among Appalachian women was virtually the same as the national average. Among men, the rate was 17 percent higher, and almost 26 percent higher among men in rural counties.
The study also found elevated rates of cervical cancer in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia, and higher colorectal cancer rates in Kentucky, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The exact causes were not determined.