Thieves made off with about $15,000 worth of cigarettes in a pair of Saturday morning buglaries in Slidell, authorities said Tuesday.
Police believe the same men are responsible for smashing through the glass doors of both Jack's Beverage, at 1126 Old Spanish Trail, and the Winn-Dixie at 851 Brown's Switch Road to snatch the smokes, Slidell police spokesman Capt. Kevin Foltz said.
Surveillance footage shows the burglars breaking into Jack's Beverage about 4:55 a.m. by shattering the front door with a large rock before loading up garbage bags with between 150 and 200 cartons of cigarettes, Foltz said. They then fled in what appears to be a Ford pickup, he said.
The break-in set off the store's burglar alarm, which called police to the scene.
About an hour later, a manager at the Winn-Dixie arrived at his store to open the business for the day and found the front door had been smashed, Foltz said. The manager and patrol officers determined about 150 cartons of cigarettes and several bottles of liquor were taken, he said.
Surveillance footage shows two of the suspects but a third hid his face in the hood of a sweatshirt, Foltz said. The third suspect was wearing a dark blue hoodie with a gold emblem and white writing, he said.
пятница, 29 января 2010 г.
среда, 27 января 2010 г.
General Tobacco Cigarettes Pulled From Stores in 18 States
General Tobacco products can no longer be sold in Washington or 17 other states. The company has not made the required payments under the Master Settlement Agreement, according to The Washington Attorney General's Office.
Vibo Corp. Inc., which does business as General Tobacco, was founded in 1996 and is based in Mayodan, N.C. Its cigarette brands include Bronco, Champion, GT, Silver and 32 Degrees. The company owes the states approximately $284.5 million -- $7 million to the state of Washington, the government agency stated.
Retailers and wholesalers with existing, stamped cigarettes manufactured by General Tobacco may continue to sell them through Feb. 19, but then must remove any remaining inventory from their shelves, according to the Attorney General. The stamps signify taxes have already been collected.
Additionally, the Attorney General's Office has sent written notice to 10 wholesalers who distribute General Tobacco products in Washington, informing them about the change.
Vibo Corp. Inc., which does business as General Tobacco, was founded in 1996 and is based in Mayodan, N.C. Its cigarette brands include Bronco, Champion, GT, Silver and 32 Degrees. The company owes the states approximately $284.5 million -- $7 million to the state of Washington, the government agency stated.
Retailers and wholesalers with existing, stamped cigarettes manufactured by General Tobacco may continue to sell them through Feb. 19, but then must remove any remaining inventory from their shelves, according to the Attorney General. The stamps signify taxes have already been collected.
Additionally, the Attorney General's Office has sent written notice to 10 wholesalers who distribute General Tobacco products in Washington, informing them about the change.
понедельник, 25 января 2010 г.
Couple Files Suit Over Smoking: Neighbor's Cigarettes Affect Health, They Say
Jesus and Pat Martinez have lived in the North Valley home they built since 1962, and they recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary there.
But they say their enjoyment of it has been considerably diminished over the past two-plus years because of a neighbor whose heavy smoking at all hours has ended up coming through the vents of their home and causing adverse health effects.
The Martinezes tried putting an oscillating fan outside and installing air purifiers inside before Jesus Martinez finally went over to speak with the neighbors, he said in a phone interview. But the problem eventually led them to hire legal counsel and file a one-page civil complaint in Metropolitan Court against Linda Garcia for nuisance damages.
Jesus Martinez said when he approached Paul Marquez, the resident of the apartment the smoke was coming from, Marquez said, "It's my wife."
The Martinezes said they proposed the neighbors smoke in front of the house, instead of in the backyard, which adjoins the Martinez property.
"In my opinion it creates an inversion," Jesus Martinez said. "Back before we sought counsel, it was really, really bad."
Pat Martinez said even smoking in front of the house is bad, but better than in back.
In an answer to the complaint filed in Metro Court, Garcia wrote that the couple worked during the day and smoked four cigarettes at night.
Garcia claims stress and harassment from the Martinezes and lost rest because of the backyard fan.
"Our goal is to get this resolved through mediation," attorney Charles Lakins, who represents the Martinezes, said Wednesday. He said the dispute is analogous to a barking dog case, which Metro Court routinely sends to mediation.
"Everybody recognizes that a barking dog can keep you awake and become a nuisance," he said.
"To keep a case like this simple requires going to Metro Court and asking a neutral third party to decide the dispute that's been ongoing over a year."
But they say their enjoyment of it has been considerably diminished over the past two-plus years because of a neighbor whose heavy smoking at all hours has ended up coming through the vents of their home and causing adverse health effects.
The Martinezes tried putting an oscillating fan outside and installing air purifiers inside before Jesus Martinez finally went over to speak with the neighbors, he said in a phone interview. But the problem eventually led them to hire legal counsel and file a one-page civil complaint in Metropolitan Court against Linda Garcia for nuisance damages.
Jesus Martinez said when he approached Paul Marquez, the resident of the apartment the smoke was coming from, Marquez said, "It's my wife."
The Martinezes said they proposed the neighbors smoke in front of the house, instead of in the backyard, which adjoins the Martinez property.
"In my opinion it creates an inversion," Jesus Martinez said. "Back before we sought counsel, it was really, really bad."
Pat Martinez said even smoking in front of the house is bad, but better than in back.
In an answer to the complaint filed in Metro Court, Garcia wrote that the couple worked during the day and smoked four cigarettes at night.
Garcia claims stress and harassment from the Martinezes and lost rest because of the backyard fan.
"Our goal is to get this resolved through mediation," attorney Charles Lakins, who represents the Martinezes, said Wednesday. He said the dispute is analogous to a barking dog case, which Metro Court routinely sends to mediation.
"Everybody recognizes that a barking dog can keep you awake and become a nuisance," he said.
"To keep a case like this simple requires going to Metro Court and asking a neutral third party to decide the dispute that's been ongoing over a year."
четверг, 21 января 2010 г.
Anti-smoking programs get push from advocates
Jeremiah Smith is bucking the trend. After 32 years of smoking, he went to classes to get help and crushed out his last cigarette Nov. 15."I went ahead and made up my mind I have got to do this," said Mr. Smith, 53, of Augusta, who was motivated in part by higher insurance costs for smokers through the State Health Benefit Plan.
Unfortunately, not many long-term smokers seem to be following. After years of steady decline, the percentage of adults who smoke has remained about the same since 2004 at about 20 percent, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite getting about $400 million in excise taxes and funds from the settlement agreement with the tobacco companies, Georgia will spend about $3.2 million this fiscal year on tobacco control.
The state does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medications to help state employees or those on Medicaid quit, although it does pay for counseling and operates the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Community Health confirmed.
The city of Augusta, however, has stepped forward to provide lunchtime classes and coverage for the smoking cessation drug Chantix, Human Resources Director Rod Powell said.
After a flurry of tobacco control initiatives in the late '90s and early part of this century, tobacco control activity has largely stalled as states have cut back on their spending, said Terry F. Pechacek, the associate director for science in the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC.
Meanwhile, the tobacco industry continues to promote its products through advertising in stores and entertainment venues, counteracting cigarette tax increases through direct-mail coupons to smokers, and developing new brands that are more attractive to young people, he said. In fact, for every dollar public health spends on tobacco control, the industry counters with $20, about $12.5 billion each year, said Paul Billings, the vice president of national policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association.
"That's what I call stacking the deck against public health," he said.
Georgia is one of only six states that does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medication for Medicaid recipients or its state employees, the lung association noted.
"Certainly in Georgia there are barriers," said June Deen, the director of advocacy for the lung association in Georgia and South Carolina. "We know a higher percentage of the Medicaid population smoked than the population at large. And we're one of a very few states that offer no service or treatment to those Medicaid recipients who wish to quit smoking. We also offer very little in the way of treatment to state employees who wish to quit smoking and they're a rather large employer in our state."
Getting help to those on Medicaid gets results, advocates said, pointing to Massachusetts. Two and a half years after offering comprehensive smoking cessation treatments to its Medicaid population, the rate of smoking dropped 26 percent among MassHealth recipients, according to a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The benefits of tobacco control have been calculated as high $40 in savings for every dollar spent, Pechacek said.
"Failure to invest in effective tobacco prevention and control strategies is leaving potential savings on the table in times of budget crisis," he said.
"It's kind of pennywise and pound-foolish not to treat this addiction when we know there are ways to effectively do that," Deen said.
The Georgia Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Advisory Council has proposed adding smoking cessation counseling with over-the-counter medication, but it would cost more than $8.5 million a year, according to an e-mail from Joye Burton, the media relations manager for the Georgia Department of Community Health. The agency is investigating what it would cost to add smoking cessation drugs and aids to the State Health Benefit Plan. The Legislature has also consistently refused to raise the state's tobacco tax of 37 cents, among the lowest in the nation, Burton said.
But in fact, that $400 million that comes to Georgia from the tobacco companies is really money from smokers themselves, many of whom want help to quit, Pechacek said. About 45 percent of smokers try to quit each year but only 1 in 10 succeeds, he said.
"In this issue of health equity, we recognize that the people who are paying the tax deserve service back," Pechacek said. "That $400 million, we need to recognize, is like a user fee."
In partnership with its provider Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia, Augusta city employees can now attend lunchtime classes to help with their weight and to quit smoking, Powell said. Pfizer is providing its "Beat the Pack" class for free and having it at lunchtime makes it convenient for employees, 15 of whom have signed up so far but more are expected, he said. The payoff would be less illness and absence, which might result in lower premiums in coming years, Powell said.
"The premium that everybody pays is tied to the medical costs. So if the costs go up, we all pay more," he said.
But there is a larger benefit to getting employees to quit.
"The other part of that is we want healthy employees," Powell said. "They're going to be more productive, they are going to take less sick leave, they're going to be at work more. And then long term, when they retire, we want them to have a healthy retirement."
Still, cost is an issue for many who want to quit, not only the cost of cigarettes but increasingly from health insurance that charges smokers more, said Cheryl Wheeler, the coordinator of the cancer registry at University Hospital, facilitator for the American Cancer Society's Fresh Start smoking cessation program.
"Health always plays a role in it but I'm really seeing the cost and the restrictions at the workplace really being equally as important to people that I'm seeing now," she said.
Smith works for the Georgia Department of Transportation and the State Health Benefit Plan adds a $60 surcharge per month if someone in the household uses tobacco. That higher cost finally got to him last year and led him to Wheeler's Fresh Start class.
"It was worth it," he said. He is getting used to coffee and meals without a cigarette after but still misses them when picking up dead animals off the road, he joked.
"I've gotten used to the smell now," Smith said.
Unfortunately, not many long-term smokers seem to be following. After years of steady decline, the percentage of adults who smoke has remained about the same since 2004 at about 20 percent, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite getting about $400 million in excise taxes and funds from the settlement agreement with the tobacco companies, Georgia will spend about $3.2 million this fiscal year on tobacco control.
The state does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medications to help state employees or those on Medicaid quit, although it does pay for counseling and operates the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Community Health confirmed.
The city of Augusta, however, has stepped forward to provide lunchtime classes and coverage for the smoking cessation drug Chantix, Human Resources Director Rod Powell said.
After a flurry of tobacco control initiatives in the late '90s and early part of this century, tobacco control activity has largely stalled as states have cut back on their spending, said Terry F. Pechacek, the associate director for science in the Office on Smoking and Health at CDC.
Meanwhile, the tobacco industry continues to promote its products through advertising in stores and entertainment venues, counteracting cigarette tax increases through direct-mail coupons to smokers, and developing new brands that are more attractive to young people, he said. In fact, for every dollar public health spends on tobacco control, the industry counters with $20, about $12.5 billion each year, said Paul Billings, the vice president of national policy and advocacy for the American Lung Association.
"That's what I call stacking the deck against public health," he said.
Georgia is one of only six states that does not cover nicotine replacement therapy or medication for Medicaid recipients or its state employees, the lung association noted.
"Certainly in Georgia there are barriers," said June Deen, the director of advocacy for the lung association in Georgia and South Carolina. "We know a higher percentage of the Medicaid population smoked than the population at large. And we're one of a very few states that offer no service or treatment to those Medicaid recipients who wish to quit smoking. We also offer very little in the way of treatment to state employees who wish to quit smoking and they're a rather large employer in our state."
Getting help to those on Medicaid gets results, advocates said, pointing to Massachusetts. Two and a half years after offering comprehensive smoking cessation treatments to its Medicaid population, the rate of smoking dropped 26 percent among MassHealth recipients, according to a study by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
The benefits of tobacco control have been calculated as high $40 in savings for every dollar spent, Pechacek said.
"Failure to invest in effective tobacco prevention and control strategies is leaving potential savings on the table in times of budget crisis," he said.
"It's kind of pennywise and pound-foolish not to treat this addiction when we know there are ways to effectively do that," Deen said.
The Georgia Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Advisory Council has proposed adding smoking cessation counseling with over-the-counter medication, but it would cost more than $8.5 million a year, according to an e-mail from Joye Burton, the media relations manager for the Georgia Department of Community Health. The agency is investigating what it would cost to add smoking cessation drugs and aids to the State Health Benefit Plan. The Legislature has also consistently refused to raise the state's tobacco tax of 37 cents, among the lowest in the nation, Burton said.
But in fact, that $400 million that comes to Georgia from the tobacco companies is really money from smokers themselves, many of whom want help to quit, Pechacek said. About 45 percent of smokers try to quit each year but only 1 in 10 succeeds, he said.
"In this issue of health equity, we recognize that the people who are paying the tax deserve service back," Pechacek said. "That $400 million, we need to recognize, is like a user fee."
In partnership with its provider Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia, Augusta city employees can now attend lunchtime classes to help with their weight and to quit smoking, Powell said. Pfizer is providing its "Beat the Pack" class for free and having it at lunchtime makes it convenient for employees, 15 of whom have signed up so far but more are expected, he said. The payoff would be less illness and absence, which might result in lower premiums in coming years, Powell said.
"The premium that everybody pays is tied to the medical costs. So if the costs go up, we all pay more," he said.
But there is a larger benefit to getting employees to quit.
"The other part of that is we want healthy employees," Powell said. "They're going to be more productive, they are going to take less sick leave, they're going to be at work more. And then long term, when they retire, we want them to have a healthy retirement."
Still, cost is an issue for many who want to quit, not only the cost of cigarettes but increasingly from health insurance that charges smokers more, said Cheryl Wheeler, the coordinator of the cancer registry at University Hospital, facilitator for the American Cancer Society's Fresh Start smoking cessation program.
"Health always plays a role in it but I'm really seeing the cost and the restrictions at the workplace really being equally as important to people that I'm seeing now," she said.
Smith works for the Georgia Department of Transportation and the State Health Benefit Plan adds a $60 surcharge per month if someone in the household uses tobacco. That higher cost finally got to him last year and led him to Wheeler's Fresh Start class.
"It was worth it," he said. He is getting used to coffee and meals without a cigarette after but still misses them when picking up dead animals off the road, he joked.
"I've gotten used to the smell now," Smith said.
понедельник, 18 января 2010 г.
Illegal tobacco sales to be stubbed out
A new crackdown is set to be launched on the tobacco black market in Hull.
Officials admit they don't know the full extent of illegal tobacco sales in the city.
But they believe Hull far outstrips national estimates that 13 per cent of all cigarettes smoked in the UK are illicit.
The new crackdown follows a decision by the Department of Health to award Hull £200,000 to develop initiatives to reduce smoking.
The city was one of 24 areas across the country to receive funding after being identified as having one of the highest smoking rates per head of population.
The initiative is set to include:
* Increased activity by Revenue and Customers investigators involving raids and seizures.
* More prosecutions for retailers caught selling tobacco to under-age youngsters.
* New educational campaigns aimed at reducing the appeal of smoking among young people.
Trevor Parkin, health policy co-ordinator at Hull City Council, said: "There is a degree of intelligence which has been given to Revenue and Customs and over the next few months there will be more visits and seizures.
"However, there is a lot more going on out there than we actually know about. The intelligence is not as good as it could be."
Mr Parkin said recent evidence-gathering included just over 100 test purchases carried out by trading standards officials investigating the underage sale of tobacco in Hull.
They found that one in three retails sold tobacco without asking for proof of age.
"This is the highest percentage failure rate in Yorkshire and the Humber and almost twice the national average," he added.
Mr Parkin also revealed officials had carried out a survey of discarded cigarette packets at Hull Fair in an attempt to find out the extent counterfeit and smuggled tobacco in the city.
"It was one method of trying to establish a picture of what is going on and more surveys will be carried out," he said.
The crackdown will also see the appointment of the city's first full-time tobacco control officer who will be based in the council's trading standards section.
The new post is expected to be advertised in the next few weeks.
Councillors on the city's health scrutiny commission heard eastern European-owned shops would also be targeted in the new crackdown because some were believed to be a source of cheap , illegally-sourced imported cigarettes
They were also told that educational programmes in schools appeared to be paying off with a recent survey suggesting a significant reduction in the number of young smokers in all age groups since similar research was carried out in 2002.
Councillor Mark Collinson said he believed enforcement would be difficult without greater checks at entry points such as ports.
"I seriously wonder how we are going to stop people bringing back cheap cigarettes from their holidays to sell to their mates."
Officials admit they don't know the full extent of illegal tobacco sales in the city.
But they believe Hull far outstrips national estimates that 13 per cent of all cigarettes smoked in the UK are illicit.
The new crackdown follows a decision by the Department of Health to award Hull £200,000 to develop initiatives to reduce smoking.
The city was one of 24 areas across the country to receive funding after being identified as having one of the highest smoking rates per head of population.
The initiative is set to include:
* Increased activity by Revenue and Customers investigators involving raids and seizures.
* More prosecutions for retailers caught selling tobacco to under-age youngsters.
* New educational campaigns aimed at reducing the appeal of smoking among young people.
Trevor Parkin, health policy co-ordinator at Hull City Council, said: "There is a degree of intelligence which has been given to Revenue and Customs and over the next few months there will be more visits and seizures.
"However, there is a lot more going on out there than we actually know about. The intelligence is not as good as it could be."
Mr Parkin said recent evidence-gathering included just over 100 test purchases carried out by trading standards officials investigating the underage sale of tobacco in Hull.
They found that one in three retails sold tobacco without asking for proof of age.
"This is the highest percentage failure rate in Yorkshire and the Humber and almost twice the national average," he added.
Mr Parkin also revealed officials had carried out a survey of discarded cigarette packets at Hull Fair in an attempt to find out the extent counterfeit and smuggled tobacco in the city.
"It was one method of trying to establish a picture of what is going on and more surveys will be carried out," he said.
The crackdown will also see the appointment of the city's first full-time tobacco control officer who will be based in the council's trading standards section.
The new post is expected to be advertised in the next few weeks.
Councillors on the city's health scrutiny commission heard eastern European-owned shops would also be targeted in the new crackdown because some were believed to be a source of cheap , illegally-sourced imported cigarettes
They were also told that educational programmes in schools appeared to be paying off with a recent survey suggesting a significant reduction in the number of young smokers in all age groups since similar research was carried out in 2002.
Councillor Mark Collinson said he believed enforcement would be difficult without greater checks at entry points such as ports.
"I seriously wonder how we are going to stop people bringing back cheap cigarettes from their holidays to sell to their mates."
понедельник, 11 января 2010 г.
Judges get together to discuss light sentences
COMMUNITY perceptions of light sentences for criminals will be discussed by judges from around Australia when they meet in Canberra next month.
The conference will also feature a presentation from two Territory Justice Department workers about the impact of mandatory jail sentences.
Judges from across Australia will also discuss "community perceptions of light sentencing for arson offenders" when the National Judicial College of Australia meets in Canberra on February 7.
The NJCA's NT convenor is Supreme Court judge Trevor Riley.
Only a third of 276 people who were sentenced for arson in Victoria between 2001 and 2006 were sent to jail.
Institute of Criminology researcher Damon Muller said 68 per cent of arsonists received wholly suspended sentences, community-based orders or other penalties including fines.
Jail sentences ranged from three months to eight years. The most common term was one year.
Meanwhile, Canberra has fast-tracked new laws forcing tobacco companies to make cigarettes that snuff themselves out.
The high-tech cigarettes designed so they extinguish automatically will now be introduced in March this year.
The conference will also feature a presentation from two Territory Justice Department workers about the impact of mandatory jail sentences.
Judges from across Australia will also discuss "community perceptions of light sentencing for arson offenders" when the National Judicial College of Australia meets in Canberra on February 7.
The NJCA's NT convenor is Supreme Court judge Trevor Riley.
Only a third of 276 people who were sentenced for arson in Victoria between 2001 and 2006 were sent to jail.
Institute of Criminology researcher Damon Muller said 68 per cent of arsonists received wholly suspended sentences, community-based orders or other penalties including fines.
Jail sentences ranged from three months to eight years. The most common term was one year.
Meanwhile, Canberra has fast-tracked new laws forcing tobacco companies to make cigarettes that snuff themselves out.
The high-tech cigarettes designed so they extinguish automatically will now be introduced in March this year.
вторник, 5 января 2010 г.
Iowa doubles its offer to help smokers quit
The Iowa Department of Public Health hopes to capitalize on the surprising number of smokers who vow to drop the habit on New Year's Day.
Those who commit to their resolution -- and anyone else who calls the department's "Quitline" -- get a free four-week supply of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges until Jan. 31 as part of the department's outreach to smokers. That's double the amount the department offers the rest of the year.
"We always get more calls in January, even without the extra patch benefit," said Bonnie Mapes, who leads the state's tobacco use prevention effort. "We know if we provide these services in January, we're more likely to get more people."
It's a tactic the Department of Public Health's Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control used last year from New Year's Day until Feb. 28. Due to a tighter budget this year, the division is only offering it for a month.
Iowa ranks 29th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in its rate of adult smoking, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Iowa's adult smoking rate was 18.8 percent in 2008. That's down from 19.8 percent in 2007.
The CDC counts smokers as those who have reported ever smoking at least 100 cigarettes and who currently smoke every day or on some days. In 2008, the lowest was Utah with 9.2 percent, and the highest was in West Virginia, at 26.6 percent.
Quitline Iowa, established in January 2008, received its highest volume of calls in its first month of service -- more than 6,000 in all. Its second-highest total was in January 2009, when more than 3,700 people called.
Callers get free nicotine medication, and are also offered counseling services.
Through the University of Northern Iowa, the Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control tracks the success rate of those who quit after six months and a year. Mapes said that those who try to quit "cold turkey" succeed about 5 percent of the time, while those who use medication and counseling have a 20 percent success rate.
In its pitch to get Iowans off cigarettes, the division is highlighting the financial benefits of dropping the habit. A release from the Department of Public Health estimates that after a month of not buying cigarettes at $5.18 per pack, "most smokers will have saved enough to buy a Blu-ray disc player or 60 gallons of gas."
"People's finances are on the tips of their tongues right now, and their long-term health may not be," said Quitline Iowa coordinator Jeremy Whitaker. "When about 5 percent of your take home pay is spent on cigarettes, it's a big piece and it adds up pretty quickly."
Whitaker said it may be fashionable to appeal to people's wallets now, but most people still quit for health reasons.
Smoking in Iowa is costlier and less convenient, thanks to several factors: a federal tax increase of 62 cents a pack this year that led manufacturers to raise their prices; a $1-per-pack increase in the state cigarette tax in 2007; and a statewide smoking ban in 2008.
The Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control is also working on its outreach. Whitaker said internal estimates show about 52 percent of smokers in Iowa have heard of the Quitline.
Ultimately, Whitaker said the goal is to get people aware, but not necessarily to get more callers.
"Our audience is shrinking, so that's a good thing," Whitaker said. "As adult smoking decreases, we're going to have fewer calls and that's OK."
Those who commit to their resolution -- and anyone else who calls the department's "Quitline" -- get a free four-week supply of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges until Jan. 31 as part of the department's outreach to smokers. That's double the amount the department offers the rest of the year.
"We always get more calls in January, even without the extra patch benefit," said Bonnie Mapes, who leads the state's tobacco use prevention effort. "We know if we provide these services in January, we're more likely to get more people."
It's a tactic the Department of Public Health's Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control used last year from New Year's Day until Feb. 28. Due to a tighter budget this year, the division is only offering it for a month.
Iowa ranks 29th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in its rate of adult smoking, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Iowa's adult smoking rate was 18.8 percent in 2008. That's down from 19.8 percent in 2007.
The CDC counts smokers as those who have reported ever smoking at least 100 cigarettes and who currently smoke every day or on some days. In 2008, the lowest was Utah with 9.2 percent, and the highest was in West Virginia, at 26.6 percent.
Quitline Iowa, established in January 2008, received its highest volume of calls in its first month of service -- more than 6,000 in all. Its second-highest total was in January 2009, when more than 3,700 people called.
Callers get free nicotine medication, and are also offered counseling services.
Through the University of Northern Iowa, the Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control tracks the success rate of those who quit after six months and a year. Mapes said that those who try to quit "cold turkey" succeed about 5 percent of the time, while those who use medication and counseling have a 20 percent success rate.
In its pitch to get Iowans off cigarettes, the division is highlighting the financial benefits of dropping the habit. A release from the Department of Public Health estimates that after a month of not buying cigarettes at $5.18 per pack, "most smokers will have saved enough to buy a Blu-ray disc player or 60 gallons of gas."
"People's finances are on the tips of their tongues right now, and their long-term health may not be," said Quitline Iowa coordinator Jeremy Whitaker. "When about 5 percent of your take home pay is spent on cigarettes, it's a big piece and it adds up pretty quickly."
Whitaker said it may be fashionable to appeal to people's wallets now, but most people still quit for health reasons.
Smoking in Iowa is costlier and less convenient, thanks to several factors: a federal tax increase of 62 cents a pack this year that led manufacturers to raise their prices; a $1-per-pack increase in the state cigarette tax in 2007; and a statewide smoking ban in 2008.
The Division of Tobacco Use Prevention and Control is also working on its outreach. Whitaker said internal estimates show about 52 percent of smokers in Iowa have heard of the Quitline.
Ultimately, Whitaker said the goal is to get people aware, but not necessarily to get more callers.
"Our audience is shrinking, so that's a good thing," Whitaker said. "As adult smoking decreases, we're going to have fewer calls and that's OK."
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