Often, the tide of history and public sentiment is difficult to predict. Or perhaps we should say the waft of public sentiment is difficult to predict — and difficult to halt. Just a few years ago, alarmists across Washington warned that a statewide indoor smoking ban would prove disastrous for bars and restaurants, businesses would suffer and personal freedoms would be trampled.
But Washington voters passed a smoking ban in November 2005, and since then many states have caught a ride on the rising wave of anti-smoking sentiment. The Columbian long has held a staunch anti-smoking stance, and we welcome the opportunity to again urge people to quit the nasty habit.
The latest opportunity arrives courtesy of a spike in the state tax on cigarettes. On May 1, that tax was raised by $1 per pack as part of a revenue package designed to help balance the state budget. State health officials estimate that could lead as many as 19,000 adults to quit smoking. While legitimate questions can be raised about the state leveling sin taxes on a group of citizens engaging in a legal activity (we editorially opposed all tax increases during this year’s state budgeting process), the benefits of stopping smoking are readily visible.
Not only will ex-smokers make a long-term investment in their health, they will reap financial rewards. Consider this from Mary Selecky, the state secretary of health: “Quitting smoking improves a person’s health within hours and saves money, too. A pack-a-day smoker who quits will save nearly $2,500 a year.” And regardless of how much you spend on cigarettes, about 41 percent of that money goes to state and federal taxes.
Like it or not, it won’t get any cheaper for smokers to indulge their habit. The growing nationwide anti-smoking sentiment guarantees that states will continue to see cigarette taxes as a revenue stream, with little danger of fallout from voters. Consider some events from recent years:
Oregon followed Washington’s smoking ban with one of its own in 2009.
That same year, the Vancouver Housing Authority implemented an indoor smoking ban at the Esther Short Commons and Columbia House residences. The danger of second-hand smoke seeping through ventilation systems gave the organization the power to dictate social policy in the private residences of citizens.
Even nicotine-steeped North Carolina — where 12,000 farmers make it the nation’s top tobacco-producing state — has passed a smoking ban. When North Carolina takes action to reduce the number of smokers, then you know the battle has been won. There is no turning back the tide.
Social norms are not easily or quickly altered. Consider the civil rights movement. Or the women’s rights movement. Or the movement in the direction of gay rights. Each of those has required incremental steps that have sometimes led — and sometimes followed — public sentiment.
And while each of those movements speaks to fundamental civil rights and therefore are different than the issue of cigarette smoking, they do share something in common with the anti-smoking movement. Rather than infringe upon the rights of smokers, legislation to limit the practice should be viewed as protection for nonsmokers.
The point is that it is in your best interest to stop smoking, and the state of Washington has several avenues to help facilitate that life change. The state’s Quit Line, at 800-QUIT-NOW, helps callers identify their smoking triggers and develop a personal plan for quitting. Additional information can be found at http://www.quitline.com. Consider it an investment in your future.
