Smoke-Free Report Cards

“Smoke-Free Report Cards. How Does Your State Rate?”

by Mark Barrus

Take a Guess: How Does Your State Rate?
The criteria are based on cigarette taxes, prevention, and smoking bans

The ALA, American Lung Association, actually assigns grades for each state for “smoke-free” they are. according to USNews.com

They actually gave 40 states an ‘F’, or failing grade for what they call tobacco prevention.

The ALA actually gave the FDA a ‘B’ grade for their contributions to the cause. I wonder what grade the ATF would have received. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was doing “such a good job” in their Laissez-faire approach to smoking prevention.

I’m all for banning smoking in workplaces and public places. I think it accomplishes the valuable goal of keeping the public healthier and free of second-hand smoke in public places.

“I believe they create more bureaucracy, more jobs within that bureaucracy to regulate, tax, fine and come up with more restrictive legislation,” says Kelley T. Woods, Certified Clinical Hypnotist. “Sin taxes are proven to deter unhealthy habits, yes, but it’s hard to support them when the same collector is also making a bundle and is vested in the continuing sale of the products, not to mention providing incentives to their producers! Well my answer is probably biased, as a non-smoker, but the libertarian in me hates to see more regulation and less freedom in any form. I understand the move to ban smoking in public indoor places (Washington has had that for some time now) but I detest private business owners being deprived the right to determine smoking policy. Posing these changes and levying taxes in the name of public health is a joke; just as ineffective as the FDA, in my opinion.”

However, Sin taxes seem to be effective in reducing tobacco sales. according to another USNews.com article.
“Well as a non-smoker I like working in a smoke-free environment, and in public places, says Dr. David Newman.

“Cigarette taxes are a joke because taxes are levied on things that you don’t want people to do; however, the tobacco farms receive huge subsistence allowances to continue to grow tobacco.”

So, in my opinion, I believe that the laws are in place to secure non-smokers votes and the taxes and other programs are presented to encourage smokers to become defiant and to continue to smoke more.

There’s a state by state grade at the bottom of our “How it Works” page.