On Jan. 11, 1964, the surgeon general of the United States issued a report that linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer. It was the beginning of a long campaign to discourage and restrict cigarette use ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” one that continues today.
On Jan. 11, 1964, the surgeon general of the United States issued a report that linked cigarette smoking to lung cancer. It was the beginning of a long campaign to discourage and restrict cigarette use ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” one that continues today.
The Kanawha-Charleston Board of Health was asked to relax its no-smoking regulations when the Mardi Gras Casino in Nitro asked permission to build a no-smoking slots area separate from other gambling areas. The board voted it down.
As noted by HD ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ reporter Sierra Marling, the casino wanted to add a smoking area for slots players because slots players tend to smoke. But after the meeting, health board member Dara Aliff-Lao said, ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œAs a health care provider, it would almost be irresponsible to vote in a way that would further potentially hurt the health of our citizens.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
At one time, cigarette smoke was everywhere because a large percentage of adults smoked. If you went to a movie or a restaurant, you came home with the odor of tobacco smoke on your clothes. Ash trays were everywhere. Cigarettes were sold in vending machines. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œNo smokingÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ sections helped, but smoke from smoking sections drifted into spaces where it wasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t wanted. At the old Huntington High School on 8th Street, teachers and students would gather in the alley beyond the school ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” off school property ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” to enjoy a cigarette or two when they could.
Things have changed. Smoking went from a rite of passage to an unwelcome habit. Indoor air is much cleaner now than it was 30 or 40 years ago.
The thing is, though, we still have a long, long way to go in fighting tobacco use. Convenience stores still do a good business in selling cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The American Lung AssociationÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s State of Tobacco Control report for 2025 gives West Virginia failing or poor grades for its efforts to reduce tobacco use:
F for prevention and cessation funding
D for smoke-free air
F for tobacco taxes
D for access to cessation services
F for flavored tobacco products
The cultural trends favoring smoking and other tobacco use have been reversed, but tobacco use persists despite evidence it is an unhealthy habit ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” one of far too many we deal with. The list is long. A few of the more common ones: inactivity; drug use and abuse; sugar intake. These are built into our lifestyles and culture. Change is very difficult. ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been 61 years since the surgeon general released his report about the link between tobacco use and disease, and people still smoke, chew and find other ways to use tobacco. Efforts to reduce tobacco use should continue, and the vise should be tightened, not loosened.
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