Reader comments
Utah smokers at a record low: 9.1%

doc rivers | 4:33 p.m. Sept. 21, 2009

this is great news. keeping the word of wisdom is the way to go.

Jacob Blad | 4:44 p.m. Sept. 21, 2009

sweet!

All Due to the Government! | 12:53 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

"Public health administrators credit the reduction in use to the public awareness campaign underwritten by the settlement, the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program and the TRUTH marketing campaign. The report also credits local public health departments and partner public service agencies in communities statewide for the decrease."

"And the state has 85,000 fewer smokers because of the public education efforts, said David Sundwall."

Hmm, I think there might be additional reasons for people quitting (or not starting) smoking than just those that were paid for by taxpayers, regardless of how hard the government tries to pat itself on the back and take credit for this.

Comments continue below

John | 1:11 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

So do 9.1% of Utahns smoke - as the title of the article claims? Or do 9.1% of Utahns use tobacco, as the article states? Does this number include users of smokeless tobacco? I occasionally enjoy a cigar; am I part of the 9.1%?

Sister Smith | 5:54 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

I`m certainly glad to see that even the gentiles are adhering to the Word of Wisdom. Now as soon as we can get them to achieve full fellowship, as truly dedicated members, we will recieve the bounties of heaven`s blessings.

hum, | 6:56 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

I wonder how many smokers were not polled or asked if they smoked.
I smoke and I was not included in any survey
You have to wonder how accurate the numbers are.
But, congrats for everyone that quit!

To think | 7:53 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

The legislators want to help balance the budget on the backs of these 9.1% of Utahn's. WOW must just be the rich that smoke.

Amy | 8:25 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Guess Utah will have to start taxing soda pop, candy, and ice cream soon. These, like tobacco products, are items harmful to the health of human beings. Fair is fair!

Brother Chuck Schroeder | 8:25 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

I say let the smoker's smoke if they want to. President Obama, who struggles with a cigarette addiction himself, approves this role for the federal government. He recently named Thomas Frieden, the man behind New York's smoking and eating directives, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced his latest assault on unhealthy behavior. By 2012, the mayor hopes to lower the proportion of adults who drink one or more sugar-sweetened beverages each day by 20 percent and his news was about plans to forbid smoking at public parks and beaches. One can see why politicians find the paternalistic option so compelling these days. For one thing, behavior modification through public policy really works. With help from free nicotine patches and taxes that bring the cost of a pack of cigarettes to nearly $10, New York City's smoking rate has dropped from 21.5 to 15.6 percent. Legal and political thinkers spend a lot of time puzzling about how to protect people from their own bad decisions without infringing on their rights. Because Democrats hold power at the moment, they face the greater peril of paternalistic overreaching.

The real truth | 8:37 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Is it that so few smoke, or is that too few Mormons who smoke (and there are a lot) really want to own up to the fact? Puff...

Bro Chuck's Rant's n Rave's | 9:00 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Re: 8:25 AM, Brother Chuck Schroeder is 100% right.

Guess we can chew tobacco more?.

A Few More Rednecks

What this world needs is a few more rednecks
Some people with the nerve to take a stand
What this world needs is a little more respect
For the Lord and the law and the working man

We could use a little peace and satisfaction
Some good people up front to take the lead
A little less talk and a little more action
And a few more rednecks is what we need

My dictionary says that a redneck is a working class person, a politically actionary one from a rural area, and while all of that may be true to a degree, it sounds to me like some intellectual trying to describe people they neither care for nor understand and it doesn't begin to go far enough in the description of a redneck for someone who considers himself to be one.

Rednecks have been misunderstood for far too long and the term has always had a negative connotation to people who don't know any better.

It all comes down to the way you look at it.

Bro Chuck is 100% right again | 9:09 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

I think this is a low number however with nearly 190,000 Utahns that still smoke and 1,150 die each year because of their addiction just think Utah, The Red State, with this greater peril of paternalistic overreaching, seeing the Mormon Church won't give you FREE HEALTHCARE, I'm sure the tea drinking mormon Sen Hatch will tax tobacco to death, and see to it Obamacon's healthcare package pays for your healthcare by taxing tobacco, then these PC Thought Police Legal and political thinkers will spend a lot of extra time puzzling about how to protect people from their own bad decisions without infringing on their rights and tax everything that has sugar in it so those in Utah will not get so fat, and will lose weight and name it another healthcare ammendment to this Bill.

Anonymous | 9:24 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Smoking is a vile habit. Lately, there actually seem to be more smokers in the towns South of Salt Lake City.

Smoking | 9:29 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Now if we could just get the leges to pass a law against smoking and driving.... Just as bad as texting!!

DU | 9:54 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

To Amy@8:25
If everyone who are in the vicinity around me drank soda, or ate ice cream and spilled it on me and made my cloth stink the I would agree with you but that is not the case. I would have no problems with smokers if they simply did not exhale. The biggest problem I have with smokers is that they are all litterers, they are always flicking their butts on the ground or out of their car window.

Brother Chuck Schroeder | 9:56 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

RE: Anonymous | 9:24 a.m.

and also

RE: Smoking | 9:29 a.m.

We know liberal's loves to tax anything that moves and does not move.

Perhaps any/all DVD's next should be taxed more to, with smoking in them, such as Cheech and Chong's Up In Smoke and Still Smoking, because non-smoker's hate smoker's?. Hey Sen Hatch, with your government controls, you missed one with your latest taxation proposals to hit society is a tax on soda pop. Rather than allowing people to be responsible for their own body, now either the states or the feds are deciding whether they should help us modify our diets by imposing hefty taxes.

I guess ya'll are so well off and so rich you love to pay taxes hey?.

BK | 9:58 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

The anti smoking campaigns have nothing to do with the decrease in smoking. The price increases are the reason people have quit.

Ban Smoking and Driving | 10:18 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

I LOVE THAT IDEA. Smoking is just as distracting, ESPECIALLY if the ash falls on your clothing and you are trying not to burn your skin or your clothes.

Also, quit using the world as your ashtray. Dispose of your cigarettes in the car. Trash your own environment, not everybody else's.

4 all U Utah non smoker's | 10:21 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Fair is fair Utah, if they would only tax diapers and baby formula, things would be more fair. These thing's clog up our landfills. Plus they smell more then lit tobacco does. Let's tax them to death to. Plus they draw flys to.

Butts | 11:01 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

What is it about 2 pack a dayers who think nothing about tossing 40 butts/ day on the ground.....talk about a landfil of garbage! throw your butts in the trash not on the ground....Officers need to write a few $250 littering tickets and you would see smokers using a can instead of the street or sidewalk!

Glenn Beck | 11:06 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

The smokers and drinkers have been wondering for years when those hooked on Colas and caffeine-laced sodas were gonna "get theirs"! There is an issue BIGGER than whether people smoke or drink - the issue is: How much should govt. try to manipulate and/or balance their out of control spending under the guise of "health guidance"!

Breath of Fresh Air | 11:29 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Rock on Utah! Everyone is better for this. Maybe in the future it can be under 5% or better. Give it a shot the rest of you out there who still smoke. We're all pulling for you! You can quit!

Jessica | 11:30 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009

I'm all for allowing people to make their own choices in life as long as their actions do not affect others. Smoke in your own house (as long as your kids don't have to suffer).

I'd like to see the litter laws enforced when smokers throw their filters on the ground.

I politely asked my neighbors to quit smoking on the patio next to my open bedroom window in summer when my windows were open. They, of course, rejected that idea so I decided that 4:00am was a good time to play a bit of polka music on my own patio. I didn't play it very loudly but they called the police anyway. Guess what? It turns out the police do not enforce noise ordinances as long as the volume is reasonable. After a good month of the "chicken dance" they angrily agreed to quit smoking outside. We're both much happier now!

I FULLY agree here with this | 12:06 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

RE: 4 all U Utah non smoker's | 10:21 a.m. Sept. 22, 2009
Fair is fair Utah, if they would only tax diapers and baby formula, things would be more fair. These thing's clog up our landfills. Plus they smell more then lit tobacco does. Let's tax them to death to. Plus they draw flys to. Plus it's a true Breath of Fresh Air for us smokers. The smokers and drinkers have been wondering for years when those hooked on Colas and caffeine-laced sodas were gonna "get theirs"! There is an issue BIGGER than whether people smoke or drink - the issue is: How much should govt. try to manipulate and/or balance their out of control spending under the guise of "health guidance"!

Frederick Gerard Gene Depardeu | 12:12 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Smoking is filthy, people who smoke should just build their own stinky city and live all together.

Cigarettes are un-cool | 12:14 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

You know how you dropped the rate of smoking… its real simple.. You made smoking cigarettes not cool. How did you make cigarettes un-cool? You made cigarettes un-cool by education the public at young ages (high school). Look at the smoking rate among high school seniors; it has been going down sense the 50’s. You made high school seniors weight the good and bad of using tobacco, not a very hard choice. I like the accomplishment, but seriously, this should not be a hard task. Cigarettes are hands down, no argument horrible for you, cigarette smokers know this. So you are trying to get people to quit smoking due to facts that are undisputable horrible for you? It’s like me trying to get someone to stop shocking them self’s with electricity by explaining the long term effect of shocking yourself. Apply your same argument to Marijuana…. You cannot achieve the same result due to the fact that it’s arguable if it’s harmful or not, not like tobacco everyone knows how bad it is for you, hence the steady decline.

Anonymous | 12:23 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

On a serious note I am very happy that less people smoke, I think that’s great. But all you people out there trying to take credit for this, the credit goes to the smoker for having the nerves and drive to quit smoking. You say it’s your commercials or your taxes, or your blah blah blah. At one point every smoker decided to quit and even harder had the drive to follow that decision through. Good job people quitting smoking tobacco. I quit smoking tobacco products in April, but would I still be considered a smoker due to my marijuana habit? Or would I just be a drug addict?

Anonymous 12:23 | 12:46 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

But it is the awareness of what smoking does to you that has helped the decline. People want to live longer and healthier. Not everyone wants to quit but most understand. Smokers who continue to smoke, just don't care what it does to you, they enjoy it like I enjoy Icecream. Tell me that Icecream is bad for you and causes multiply health problems and show me convincing data, I might quit eating eat. Hench the awareness factor. If there were no studies done, awareness generated, we would have more smokers. It is just a sign of the times. I can see a future where cigarettes will actually be banned......oh wishful thinking, I know, I know.

Creating hate | 3:09 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

That's is all your doing when you bash smokers, That is not very Christian of you. If you hate smokers so much and you want them to go live in their own city, ok, lets say they did, but you should also then stop listening to the radio, throw away most of your cd's, albums and/or delete your mp3's cause guess what?? most of the music you hear and probably enjoy, there is a whole lot of smokers making that music. Beatles? Yep, Stones? Of course and countless others that you would not have heard or even be aware of if we banned smokers. Pull your head out of your pretentious rear-end.

Skoal Bandit all the way | 4:25 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Did they take into consideration us who dip? Smokeless Skoal chew? I bet if they included my habit the numbers would be higher. Only here in Utah would this be news.

Smoke more in Utah | 4:28 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Don't tax smokers and let them alone, tax rehydrating, sugar-laden sports drinks are still in and say they have to be drunk in their homes only, not in public. That causes burps, the same with a cow, and that causes global warming.

Wod | 6:23 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Wonder if any of those nons smoke bark (barkies), like when I was a kid. They still got their priesthood award. Us no goods were scorned.

The NIT | 7:47 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

Most of you miss the point - why should I - as non-tobacco user - pay higher health insurance rates because of those 9% who use tobacco. If there was no cost shifting, I wouldn't really care - be stupid if you want. But when my premiums are higher then I'm interested and I have a right to be interested. Start pricing individual and/or group health insurance like auto, life and home insurance and much of this anti-tobacco sentiment would fade away.

Uh, yeah. That's why I quit | 8:13 p.m. Sept. 22, 2009

I was a slave to tobacco for years and after many earnest failed attempts, I finally put it behind me a year ago. I did it for many reasons, but I can assure you the state's campaign did not play even the smallest role. But go ahead and congratulate yourself. I think it might help discourage people from starting, but I guarantee it does not help them quit.

Aker | 9:41 a.m. Sept. 23, 2009

I have never met a smoker who said, "Am I ever glad I started smoking! That was a great decision!".

It's nearly impossible to argue that smoking provides any real benefit to an individual or to society. Still, modern democracies demand that citizens have freedom to make make personal decisions as long as those decisions do not negatively affect others. As long as smokers realize they are not only disturbing others but also causing damage to those around them and adjust their behavior to mitigate that annoyance or damage then I see no reason they should not be allowed to make the decision to smoke. I still believe smoking in the immediate presence of children constitutes child abuse and should be a matter for law enforcement.

I, as an employer, also have the right to hire or fire people based on their smoking habits. I will not hire a smoker nor allow a person in my employ to be a smoker. Our insurance rates are lower as a result and in my experience I get significantly better performance and reliability from non-smokers.

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