Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Tobacco issues brought up before council

A total of 13 counties are involved in the BEAT coalition.

Of the counties, six are in Texas with the rest being in Arkansas. BEAT stands for Breathe Easier Ark-Tex, according to Janet McAdams, director of the Nevada County Health Unit.

McAdams addressed the Prescott City Council on tobacco issues during its regular monthly meeting Monday, Jan. 20.

The problem, she said, began at the turn of the 20th century with R.J. Reynolds, with cigarettes being popularized in the movies and advertising.

During World War I and II, cigarettes were provided to soldiers with their rations.

In WWII, she said, tobacco companies realized they had people hooked, then started targeting black people with menthol cigarettes.

This was done, McAdams said, so black people would have "cigarettes of their own."

However, the menthol cigarettes proved to be deadlier than the normal ones, with an even more serious strain of lung cancer.

Now, she said, teens are smoking the three most popular advertised brands  Marlboro, Camel and Newport.

Younger people get addicted to cigarettes easier, she told the council, making it harder for them to quit later on. Tobacco companies are now targeting seventh and eighth grade students.

But, it isn't just smoking tobacco there's a problem with, as there is also an issue with smokeless, or chewing, tobacco.

Arkansas, McAdams said, ranks second in the nation in smoking and third in the use of chewing tobacco. Conversely, the state also ranks second and third in instances of cancer and heart problems nationally.

"We're trying to make a difference," she said, "and are doing programs to impact the problem.

McAdams pointed out smoking has been banned in all public places in California, which has resulted in a 90 percent reduction of tobacco use. In Oregon, the decline has been 11 percent.

"Smoking alters chemicals in the brain," she said, "and the younger a person is, the fewer cigarettes it takes to get hooked and it's harder to quit."

Work is being done with counter-advertising to try and keep young people from starting to smoke. Programs are also being done in schools to help reduce the number of students using all forms of tobacco.

The funds BEAT uses isn't tax money, she said, but comes from the tobacco lawsuit settlement.

There is a short film, "Saving Lives in Arkansas", the organization has available for schools. BEAT she said, works with counselors and science teachers to get this film in schools.

The local health department also works with the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Arkansas out of Little Rock.

Part of the focus is on second hand smoke.

Smoke, McAdams said, is about the size of anthrax molecules. It hangs around in the air, attaching itself to whatever is nearby. When disturbed, smoke becomes airborne again.

"There is really no such thing as a no-smoking section," she said, "because the smoke hangs around and travels through the air."

Arkansas, she said, spends $700 million annually on health related diseases, and $70 million on Medicare specifically on tobacco-related health problems.

"We're targeting three counties in Southwest Arkansas to become smoke free," McAdams said. "This is a problem we can do something about. We can make a difference."

McAdams told the council there are 3,000 to 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes, with 50 of them being carcinogenic.

She will be returning to the council with an ordinance to make smoking illegal in all public buildings.