Tennessee and Tobacco

Posted on | March 29, 2007 | Comments Off on Tennessee and Tobacco

Earlier this week, I mentioned the conflict that had arisen between Ed Hill, former president of the AMA and long-time resident of Tupelo, Mississippi, and the governor of the state, Haley Barbour.

Gov. Barbour vetoed an attempt to raise the tax per pack of cigarettes from $0.18 to $0.80 and in so doing drew the comment from Dr. Hill that this was “subsidized stupidity”. To see a contrasting case study, look at Tennessee. Under the leadership of Gov. Phil Bredesen, the state is slated to be the first tobacco-growing state to pass a comprehensive smoke-free workplace law. He also plans to triple the taxes on cigarettes and use the money for health prevention.

He said, “It’s something you couldn’t have done in Tennessee a decade ago. I think people are ready for it.”

Part of the reason they’re ready for it is that tobacco’s hold on Tennessee is loosening. 1982’s harvest was 178 million pounds. By 1999, it dropped to 122 million pounds, and in 2006, it was just 49 million pounds.

Ken Givens, former Agriculture Committee head for the state notes, “The profitability is gone, and a lot of farmers have simply exited the program and are not doing it any more, so it’s not like a golden crop.”

All the more reason to ask, “What is Mississippi thinking?”