The paradox.(Editorial)

A SURVEY RELEASED LAST WEEK y the Arkansas Department f Health said there are nearly 100,000 fewer smokers in the state now than there were in 2002, when the Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program started.

In 2002, 25.1 percent of adults in the state smoked. That number has now fallen to 20.7 percent. And that's still far too many. The state has one of the highest death rates from smoking-related causes in the nation.

The decline in tobacco use not only means some will have longer and better lives, it also means lower health care costs from smoking-related illnesses."

Since the Tobacco Prevention & Cessation Program began in 2002, the number of hospital admissions in Arkansas for heart attack, stroke, chronic bronchitis and emphysema has declined progressively each year, resulting in substantial savings in health care costs, the report said.

All of that is good news. What may not be so good down the road is the recently passed law that raised the tax on cigarettes by 56 cents. The state already had a 59-cent tax on tobacco, and the federal government tacked on an additional 62 cents--all within the past few months.

The Legislature passed the tax increase to pay for a trauma system and health care programs and to fund a northwest campus of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Again, things the state certainly needs.

But with fewer smokers in the future, the expected funds will dwindle. What then?

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