November is National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Coos County has the unwelcome distinction of having the highest rate of lung cancer in the state for over 5 years. Eighty to ninety percent of lung cancer is caused by smoking tobacco. Twenty to thirty years ago, Coos County had the highest rates of smoking in the state, so it's not surprising that today we have the highest rates of lung cancer. Coos County continues to have a high rate of smoking in adults (27% compared to the state rate of less than 20%), so we can expect to continue to see high levels of lung cancer for years to come. On Thursday, November 15, which is this year's Great American Smoke out Challenge, those who are motivated to stop smoking may try to quit for a day. Practice over time can eventually create success. One of the best motivators for quitting is raising the price of cigarettes, and the most effective way to do that is through a higher tax. Passing the tax increase in Measure 50 would have kept an estimated 29,000 to 32,000 kids from starting this addiction (and saved hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs over time--costs that the public is paying through Medicaid and Medicare). It's incongruent that in this country we are very concerned about the health effects of some products, such as lead paint on children's toys, but we continue to allow the sale of a product with over 40 known carcinogens. If this country's leaders won't stop the sale of this carcinogenic product, then can we make it unaffordable for many and at the same time, use the proceeds for a good cause? That concept didn't fly in Oregon. The majority of Coos County's voters in this last election must think that a higher tobacco tax is not a good way to fund children's health insurance--maybe because of concerns about changing the constitution, or poor people having to bear the brunt of this tax...
Consider: Is there another option to pay for health insurance for kids that people will support?
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