Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, November 30, 1994 TAG: 9411300042
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: HOWARD W. SHAY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Citing statistics that school seniors smoke at the same percentage as in 1984 ignores the fact that most seniors, having reached their majority, are still legally entitled to purchase tobacco. As we prevent school dropouts, the age average increases. Seniors, as a group, are older. The smoking rate is the same despite most states having passed laws since 1984 raising the legal age for purchase of cigarettes to 18 years of age because most seniors are 18.
Have the percentage rates declined for smokers under age 18 since the imposition of new laws? Are the laws working and enforced?
As you erroneously point out that ``despite laws prohibiting sales to minors (most seniors aren't), kids (they're not) still find cigarettes easier to come by than booze'' (unsubstantiated), you overlook the obvious:
Raise the legal purchase age for tobacco to 21 as it is for alcohol. Strictly enforce the law, and thereby decrease all youth smoking.
It's impossible to legislate morality, but we can force payment for immorality through court fines and taxes. It occurs to me that many adults join youth in ``wrong behavior'' as part of their lifestyle. Whether it's smoking, taxed and untaxed alcohol, gambling, illegal drugs, unprotected sex or flaunting driving regulations, some Virginians are a bit rebellious.
In the editorial, you say: ``In Canada after cigarette taxes were raised to more than $3 per pack, the smoking rates among teens dropped by 60 percent.'' I surmise that the magnitude and nature of this tax was to force people to stop smoking by making cigarettes unaffordable. The primary impact falls on those least able to afford the tax, neither equitable nor the American way. Canada's tax actually created smugglers and scofflaws.
The $2 tax increase proposed by your newspaper - forget it! If you want to raise revenues, I suggest a new tax on newspapers. Newspapers are defoliating Canada, and filling our landfills. On second thought - forget it!
The Dominion of Canada reduced their $3-a-pack tax. The Dominion of Virginia didn't like the newspaper tax imposed long ago by the British Stamp Act.
We Virginians are still a rebellious lot when it comes to unfair taxes.
Howard W. Shay of Roanoke is a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service.
by CNB