Giving Up Cigarette Smoking ‘Cold Turkey’ Was Lifesaver

It has been a half century since a cigarette found its way between my lips.

Quitting my addiction to cigarettes was a spur of the moment decision and a dozen or more people around me at the time were doubting Thomases because they knew how dependent I was on cigarettes. Even I had some doubts - but I was determined.

It didn't take an Einstein-type decision on my part since I knew my daily habit of smoking two, and sometimes even three packs a day - depending on how much partying there was after leaving work - was an invitation to a short lifetime.

It was probably the most momentous decision I ever made because at today's prices of $5 or more a pack I'd be sacrificing grocery money to calm the craving for a smoke. But at the rate I was consuming (that's a better word than smoking because I was almost eating them) cigarettes I would not be here today to tell about it.

My friends and co-workers at the time and many, many times since then have asked the obvious question: "How'd you do it?" My stock answer was always "cold turkey." That made it sound like it was easy to do, but believe me it was not. It was agonizing for quite a while.

While pounding out a story on the old Underwood typewriter in the News-Register office, it was not uncommon to have two or three lighted cigarettes lined up on the edge of my desk. Fortunately the desks way back then had been in use for years and were scarred from cigarette burns. That doesn't happen anymore because all the desks are sparkling new and it is a smoke-free workplace.

My decision to quit came like a lightning bolt early one morning. Being deep in thought about what awaited me at the office, I did not realize until I sat down to type a story that my shirt pocket was not filled with the usual pack of butts.

Back then there was a handy cigarette machine in the office but when I searched my pockets, no change was found for the machine. Cost of cigarettes in a store ranged between 22 to 25 cents a pack. The machine required 30 cents but the buyer received two pennies change in each pack.

So I went searching for change for $1. After about a half dozen tries I finally succeeded and made a mad dash to the cigarette machine. Horrors! It was empty. I never did find out whether the mechanical monster was damaged when I kicked it.

So then I made like a beggar. First I asked Al Wyman, who was seated across from me in the newsroom. He dealt me another setback. "This is my last one," he said holding a lighted cigarette between his fingers. "I have to go out and buy some," was his reply. More contacts likewise failed. Finally I invaded Editor Harry Hamm's office. He smoked Raleigh cigarettes and I was so desperate I'd settle for one of them. I smoked Pall Mall.

That didn't work either. He, too, was smoking his last cigarette and showed me the empty pack. Even though I was having a nicotine fit with one setback after another in my efforts to satisfy my habit, it seemed I was getting a message from a greater power. When I stepped out of Hamm's office, I shouted loud enough for all to hear: "That 's it! I quit!!"

There was quick response. As I sat down to continue writing my story, Wyman took a last drag on his cigarette and said, "Al, if you quit, so will I." I considered that encouraging.

There were no patches, pills or any of the many quit smoking programs back then as there are today. If there were, they weren't as well publicized as they are today. It was a case of sheer will power and determination to quit the habit.

There were some big obstacles to overcome. At the end of every work day, it was beer time for me and a few others on the staff. But that day the beer was shoved aside. I couldn't drink a beer without craving a cigarette. So I made another big decision - I quit drinking beer.

My usual routine the next day likewise was abruptly altered starting first thing in the morning. On getting out of bed, I usually lit up a cigarette even before my feet touched the floor. Not that day or ever after.

On arriving early at the office, my day always started with a cup of coffee and a cigarette. That didn't work either. I could not drink the coffee without craving a cigarette. So there was only one thing to do: I quit drinking coffee.

So in the span of less than 24 hours I quit smoking, quit drinking beer and quit drinking coffee. Some friends felt I was headed for the looney bin.

The automatic reflex of the right hand reaching up into the pocket on the left side of my shirt was difficult to stop. So I put a pack or two of lifesavers there. I consumed them faster than I had inhaled cigarettes. For the first few weeks I consumed as many as four or five packs of lifesavers a day. For me they were no longer candy. They were - lifesavers.

While I was nervous and shaky during those early days and also suffering from stomach aches which I assumed were withdrawal pains, I fought the craving. Al Wyman's effort lasted one day. On the second day he came to work with cigarette in hand. "I can't do it," he uttered apologetically. But he, Duke Horstemeyer and others continued a daily dose of words of encouragement for me.

In the days afterwards my nervousness and shakiness calmed some but reaching for the lifesavers continued. After about a month of no cigarettes, no beer and no coffee, I felt a bit under the weather one day and decided to visit my family physician and friend, the late Dr. Charles V. Lee

After examining me, we chatted. He asked me if something usual had happened at home. My reply was no. Then he modified it a bit and asked if something different had occurred in my life. I told him nothing, except that I quit smoking, and quit drinking coffee and beer.

He couldn't hide his shock. He quickly suggested that for my continued good health and sanity it would be wise if I resumed one of the three. He said quitting all three at once was too much of a shock to my system. He made no recommendation.

Masked men raid Sydney cigarette van

Police have set up road blocks in Sydney's west after the robbery of a cigarette delivery van this morning.

Four men wearing balaclavas threatened the driver at Guildford just before 9:00am (AEST).

They loaded the cigarettes into a white van before driving off.

Police say no weapons were drawn during the robbery and the driver was not harmed.

They say the registration plates on the van used in the robbery, ASJ01Y, had been stolen from another vehicle.

The road blocks have been set up around the robbery scene while police canvass the area.

Newsagent sold cigarettes to underage volunteer

A NEWSAGENT in Lutterworth was caught selling cigarettes to a 15-year-old boy in an undercover operation by trading standards officers.

Nicholas Smith (43), from Leicester, admitted selling tobacco to a person under 18 at Millennium News, in High Street, last October.

He appeared at Harborough Magistrates’ Court last Thursday.

Prosecutor Sarah Varley said a 15-year-old volunteer was able to buy cigarettes. She said: “The man behind the counter was the defendant, he did not ask for identification.”

Smith failed to respond to a questionnaire which meant a summons was issued.

In mitigation, Mike Garvey said Smith had been depressed and this was why there was a delay in responding to the questionnaire.

He added that the shop followed the Challenge 21 procedure. Smith was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £759 costs.

FDA cracks down on online tobacco sales

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have a problem with consumers buying cigarettes online, they have a problem with manufacturers claiming their products offer “reduced risk of tobacco-related diseases” online.

The FDA cited the online retailers for a variety of illegal marketing claims that violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, including use of terms such as: “Light”; “Low”; “Mild”; “Less toxic”; or “Safer.” This is a fairly new law that just went into effect about a year ago.

“There is no known safe tobacco product. It is illegal for tobacco companies or retailers, including internet sellers, to make unsubstantiated claims or statements that imply tobacco products reduce health risks,” said Lawrence R. Deyton, M.S.P.H., M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “FDA will pursue enforcement actions to protect the public health.”

The FDA sent out 11 warning letters to companies telling them not to advertise with these false claims. To make such a claim the FDA would have to approve it, and not one of these companies has any such permission from the FDA.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products conducts routine monitoring and surveillance of tobacco product marketing, advertising and promotion to assess compliance with the law. If companies fail to comply with the government agencies request fines, seizure, and criminal prosecution could become a reality.

Top 10: Keys to quitting smoking

If you are not a smoker or have never smoked, this list is not for you unless you can find some sympathy for those that do struggle with addictions.

1. Smoking is a physical and psychological addiction that produces a "chain reaction" in the body. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin and cocaine according to LiveStrong.com . Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following: dizziness (which may only last 1 to 2 days after quitting) depression, feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger, anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares, trouble concentrating, restlessness or boredom, headaches, tiredness, increased appetite, weight gain, constipation and gas, cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip, chest tightness, slower heart rate. It doesn’t sound like a lot of fun or offer the comfort a cigarette does.

2. Quit Smoking Aids : There are many but it comes down to one key ingredient and that is "you". Whatever aid or help you enlist, you must be able and willing to follow through. The odds are stacked against you. Mark Twain said “Quitting smoking is easy; I have done it a thousand times”. According to The American Cancer Society, success rates in general, only about 4% to 7% of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt without medicines or other help. Studies in medical journals have reported that between about 25% and 33% of smokers who use medicines can stay smoke-free for over 6 months. There is also early evidence that combining some medicines, may work better than using them alone. (See the section, " Help with the physical part of addiction: Prescription drugs. ") Behavioral and supportive therapies may increase success rates even further, and help the person stay smoke-free. Check the package insert of any product you are using to see if the manufacturer provides free telephone-based counseling. I have read that the patches and gum can create a different addiction of their own. The American Heart Association, American Cancer Society want to help read their website for suggestion and in some cases free assistance such as smoking cessation classes and other support.

3. Positive reinforcement : Place the exact amount of money you will save from NOT purchasing cigarettes in a glass jar so you can view your progress. The price in Pennsylvania is approximately $7 a pack and the rates vary from state to state. There's more than the monetary reward to consider. Smoking cessation has immediate health benefits. It lowers your blood pressure and reduces your pulse after only 20 minutes. Within a day, the carbon monoxide level in your blood returns to normal. Within two weeks to three months, your risk of a heart attack decreases and your lungs begin to function better. Long-term benefits include a reduced risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other cancers. Smoking tobacco really isn’t friendly to any medical condition.

4. Weight Gain : Many worry about gaining weight if they stop smoking and it can happen especially if you replace cigarettes with food, average weight gain of 5 to 10 pounds in the first few months. The seminar I attended said 10-50lbs. That is a nightmare to me, so is getting cancer. I weigh the odds. I have witnessed a family member suffer. Cigarettes can be an appetite suppressant. It is recommended to up your calcium intake the first week, avoid carbs and drink 6-8 glasses of water you should also up your exercise routine and by all means do not become a slacker. Exercise can boost you mental and physical health. Cigarettes also mess with you blood sugar, metabolism, serotonin levels and dopamine.

5. Helpful diversions: Take a deep breath hold it for 5 seconds and release, do this 3 times. Don’t just sit there get up and do something. Drink a glass of water, lemon adds a little flavor; avoid triggers like alcohol and sweets and stressful, painful situations and they should avoid you too. ; - )

6. A link to Helpful Hints for Friends and Family Do’s and Don’ts to Helping a Smoker Quit.

7. Behavior Modification: Change the way you deal with certain situations. Boredom, have a cigarette (old behavior), boredom, do something constructive, create and carry a list with you to fill in that idle time. Eat a meal, have a cigarette (old behavior), immediately brush your teeth after a meal or use mouth wash. Head in the opposite direction of where you used to go to smoke. Reward yourself for not being a smoker. Do not punish yourself by being a smoker. You will need to stock up on a whole new set of coping skills for stress. Look out stress knows you quit and comes looking for you. You will be vulnerable at first. You will absolutely sweat the small stuff until you learn to cope. Find that inner strength.

8. Smoking is known as a feel good . Who doesn’t want that instant gratification feel good? It is a challenge and a struggle to quit and most likely you will not get that much support from friends and family. Especially, if they were never a smoker, that do not realize how difficult this addiction is to break. If they are a born again non-smoker they know how difficult it is and rarely have any sympathy for you because they hate the addiction that once trapped them. Yet they can understand your struggle.

9. “They” say day 5 and 7 are the tough ones . I waited with baited breath for day 5 to arrive and it was pretty uneventful so I knew day 7 would be bad. I was constantly looking over my shoulder that day wondering, when it was going to come, yet I survived. Day 10 was the kicker. I woke up normally went into the kitchen a few dirty dishes in the sink so I went to load them up in the dish washer only to discover HE had loaded it incorrectly, the plates were not lining up and immediately I realized after almost 25 years, I had married the wrong man, my children never have and never will listen to me, they have minds of their own and maintaining the small home that I live in is just too overwhelming for me. I emailed my good friend who also quit smoking many years ago by the same method, hypnosis. I went on the postal, nicotine deprived rant and told her just about everything in my life was wrong. Luckily she had lived through the experience and was able to talk me down. Life was back to normal in about 15 minutes.

10. I quit smoking many years ago for over 20 years and I got smacked with a few of life’s unpleasant events, the culmination ranked pretty high on the stress scale and I made a huge mistake. You can find those stress level tests on line. I picked up a cigarette again, but I have learned the hard way, I can never do that again. It was something I knew was not comforting me at all. Yet I was hooked. I recently attended a "Quit Smoking" seminar using hypnosis and I have been a non-smoker for exactly three months today. I know it doesn’t sound that impressive but I have tried for 4 years to break the habit again and I hope I continue to believe that it makes no sense to go back to it

Court date set on tribe cigarette tax injunction

Lawyers for the state and the Seneca Nation of Indians are scheduled to present arguments June 1 over continuing an injunction prohibiting the state from collecting sales and excise taxes on cigarettes sold by tribes to non-Indians.
The 2 p.m. arguments will be in State Supreme Court in Buffalo before State Supreme Court Justice Donna M. Siwek.

Smigiel: I'll float a bill to legalize cigar shipments

Now that consumer shipments of premium cigars have apparently been outlawed by the 2010 General Assembly, Del. Mike Smigiel says he'll introduce a bill in this fall's special session to make them legit again.

"The comptroller's office told me they had 300 complaints already," says Smigiel, a Republican representing Cecil, Caroline, Kent and Queen Anne's counties. "I have every indication from the comptroller's office" that they'll support a change making shipments of premium cigars (often defined as more than $2 apiece) OK for Web and catalog vendors. "We're working on this. We're going to fix it. It was an unintended consequence" of a bill requiring licensing of wholesalers of cigars and pipe tobacco. "It certainly was not meant to interfere with the individual" buyer of nice cigars by mail.

"We welcome the comptroller to do that. We opposed this legislation when it was introduced," said Craig Williamson of the Cigar Association of America. " We were disappointed to see the provision which prohibits Maryland consumers to purchase legal products from an Internet retailer."

What Williamson really wanted to know, however, about Comptroller Peter Franchot, was: “Do you know if he’s going to be enforcing it?" in the meantime before the ban gets fixed. "Everybody wants to know.”

I do not know the answer. Stay tuned.

Hookah bars, popular with teens, put on notice

Teenagers across North Jersey are flocking to lounges and nightclubs to smoke water pipes, called hookahs, stuffed with fruit-laced tobacco — a fad that has spawned new businesses and set off clashes over health-code violations, underage smoking and rowdy late-night parties.

"We're finding a lot of 14-year-olds from Paramus and Ramsey coming down here to smoke," said Ralph Gambatese, Paterson's chief license inspector. "We call the parents and they're shocked to hear it. We'd rather they come to shop."

Local officials in North Jersey, who are just waking up to the trend, have revived the enforcement of a statewide indoor smoking ban to stem a surge in code violations and 3 a.m. brawls at some hookah clubs.

A lounge on lower Main Street in Hackensack closed six months ago after the city Health Department found several code violations, including indoor smoking and the sale of tobacco to underage customers. In Lyndhurst, health officials last week ordered the new Sultan Hookah to stop serving the pipes indoors, forcing the owner to close until an outdoor patio is arranged. Nine months ago, the Lyndhurst Health Department issued the hookah lounge a certificate of satisfaction.
Lyndhurst Commissioner Brian Haggerty, who oversees the Health Department, said he was unaware of how the indoor smoking ban applied to hookah lounges. "I was very upset for the owner that this had to happen — that he had to lose his business."

Once a sort of happy-hour release for Muslim men who smoke harsh tobacco for hours over sweet coffee and hands of cards, hookah smoking in public establishments has acutely changed in recent years. Its fans are far younger, diverse and multiplying as quickly as tobacco flavors — such as mango and double apple — evolve.

Grocery stores became hookah nightclubs. College campuses from New York to Denver adopted the trend. In North Jersey, lounges stretch from the Arabic and Turkish hubs in Paterson and Clifton to the suburban streets of Hackensack, Rutherford, Englewood and Lyndhurst.

You want to smoke the best tobacco for hookah? Than you need to buy for cheap price Al Fakher tobacco for shisha and hookahs.

Paramus native Kali Trahanas never smoked cigarettes but during high school she fell in the love with the hookah at Rutherford's Eros Cafe. She connected with the fruity flavors, the "cozy" atmosphere and the unique venue for under-21 socializing.

"It was kind of our little niche," said Trahanas, now 22. "When we were younger, we couldn't drink, so I guess it started out as something else to do."

A 2008 state Health Department survey found that 10 percent of high school students smoke tobacco from a hookah. GASP, a statewide anti-smoking group, estimates that rate has since increased to almost 12 percent. Health experts say hookah tobacco is no less hazardous than cigarettes.

Cotinine from Tobacco Prevents Memory Loss in Mice With Alzheimer’s Disease Read more: Cotinine from Tobacco Prevents Memory Loss in Mice With Alzhei

A study conducted by researchers at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida found that Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, helped reduce plaques associated with dementia in genetically altered mice with Alzheimer’s disease.

Valentina Echeverria, a scientist at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, said, “We found a compound that protects neurons, prevents the progression of Alzheimer’s disease pathology, enhances memory and has been shown to be safe. It looks like cotinine acts on several aspects of Alzheimer’s pathology in the mouse model. That, combined with the drug’s good safety profile in humans, makes it a very attractive potential therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.”

As part of the study, young mice were genetically altered to suffer memory problems akin to Alzheimer’s disease. Cotinine was administered regularly for five months.

During the end of the study period, findings revealed that mice which received cotinine performed better at tasks involving their working memory and thinking skills as compared to mice which did not receive cotinine.

Long-term cotinine treatment caused a 26% reduction in deposits of amyloid plaques, which is an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease. Cotinine also activated the signaling factor Akt, which helps neurons survive, thus improving memory.

Tobacco Products Display Comes Under Microscope

Some tobacco-related products are coming under fire by one North Carolina lawmaker, and his proposal would have a direct effect on convenience stores.

Rep. Charles D. Graham (D-Lumberton) contends that, in particular, tobacco and pipe wrapping paper are conducive to drug use. To help combat this, he wants to introduce legislation that would prohibit stores from displaying these items, according to the SCNow.com.

"My concern here is our young children, our adolescents," Graham said. "We need to start reshaping their mindsets and send a message out there to the convenience store owner it's not OK to promote this with young children."

Some convenience store owners the news outlet spoke with were in favor of the ban. Pembroke store operator Harold Dean Allen said approximately 25 to 30 people buy tobacco wrapping paper from him every day; however, he did not think the change would affect his business.

"That will be fine with me," he said. "I don't hardly display it anyway. I have it on the shelf but I don't have it reachable."

Graham explained that it is too late to introduce the legislation this session but he hopes to propose it next May.

Farmers in favour of coal for tobacco curing

After the success of the Hwange Colliery Company pilot scheme, where coal was used in curing the golden leaf, tobacco farmers have proposed that the initiative be rolled out to all parts of the country.

They argue that with the programme initiated by the coal mining giant two years ago, farmers benefited from coal availed by rural district councils at subsidised prices to ensure viability and has assisted in the conservation of indigenous trees in their areas.

In the Beatrice area, prominent tobacco farmer, Mr Edson Makina says the programme is a good initiative but needs to be adopted on a national scale to save the indigenous forests which are under threat from massive deforestation.

He noted that apart from conserving the forests, coal cured tobacco has a good quality compared to the crop cured using firewood.

Hwange Colliery Marketing Manager, Mr Charles Zhou said the mining firm has supplied coal at lower prices to the rural district councils to ensure that the low costs are passed on to the farmers.

With the county grappling with the adverse effects of climate change, alternative sources of energy should be adopted on a larger scale as deforestation has been cited as a major cause of the phenomenon in developing countries.

Experts say it is then critical to educate most small scale farmers of the dangers of destroying forests which are usually harvested during the tobacco curing season.

British America Tobacco's first-quarter sales rise

British American Tobacco PLC (BATS.LN) Thursday posted a rise in first-quarter sales, but the world's second-biggest tobacco group by revenue said volumes continued to soften and warned of challenging trading as smokers struggle with tough global economic conditions.

Consumers in more mature markets are switching to low-cost brands as spending power is hit by tax hikes and other austerity measures to help governments rein in borrowing.

BAT volumes were hit by declines in Spain, Mexico, Australia and Vietnam. Still, Chief Executive Nicandro Durante said the company grew market share in all these markets and noted that the rate of volume decline overall is slowing. To compensate for volume falls, tobacco companies are paring costs and raising prices in mature markets like Western Europe and the U.S.

London-based BAT, which competes with U.S.-based global market leader Philip Morris International Inc. PM -0.19% and U.K.-based peer Imperial Tobacco Group PLC (IMT.LN), said organic sales rose 5% in the three months to March 31 on a constant currency basis, boosted by pricing gains.

Volumes fell 2.4% to 164 billion cigarettes in the quarter from 168 billion in the same period last year. Stripping out these acquisitions, volumes fell 1.8%. Most regions showed a drop in volumes from last year although Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa posted a flat performance.

"This good performance was achieved in trading conditions which remain challenging, with industry volumes markedly lower in a number of market," the company said.

Global brand volumes rose 9%, with Kent up 16%, Dunhill up 6% and Pall Mall 10% higher. Lucky Strike volumes fell 4%, hit by declines in Spain.

BAT also said there were higher-than-expected shipments to Japan, where the environment remains "highly uncertain" following the earthquake last month.

At the end of February, BAT said it was on track to reach an operating margin target of 35% by 2012 after it rose to 33.5% from 31.4% last year, supported by production, supply chain and logistical savings. It also resumed its share buy-back program after suspending the scheme in 2009 during the economic downturn.

Students, Keller Hospital main beneficiaries of tobacco taxes

While Shoals cities send all their tobacco tax revenue to their respective general funds, county governments have specific purposes for the money raised by the sale of cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and other products.

Tobacco taxes are commonly referred to as “sin taxes,” because they’re derived from the sale of products or activities that are frowned upon by some members of a community.

Taxes on alcohol also fall into this category, and in some cases, taxes on soft drinks are considered sin taxes.

Regardless of its origin, the money can provide a revenue boost to cash-strapped cities and counties.

Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia place their tobacco tax revenue into their general funds where it is used for help pay for various city functions.

Sin taxes have been used to pay for stadiums in the U.S., while in Sweden taxes on gambling are used to help people with gambling problems.

“It’s not huge,” Sheffield City Clerk Clayton Kelly said. “But $70,000, $80,000 hits you pretty hard if you didn’t have it.”

Unlike the cities, Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale counties have specific purposes for their tobacco tax revenue.

Of the three, Franklin County is the most creative, using tobacco taxes to fund a college scholarship program and to provide additional money to the Franklin County Fire and Rescue Squad and the Franklin County Water Authority.

“None of it goes into our general fund,” Franklin County Administrator Crista Martin said.

Martin said the Franklin County Scholarship Fund is open to any Franklin County resident who is attending college in Alabama. The applicant must be a full-time student and maintain a 2.0 grade point average, she said.

The amounts of the scholarships vary depending on how much money is in the fund and the number of scholarship applicants, Martin said.

Martin said the scholarships are awarded annually for spring and fall semesters. Approved applicants will receive their money after they complete the semesters they applied for. The deadline to apply is June 30, and students can reapply each year.

“When it first started, there was a good bit more money in it than there is now,” Martin said. “When you have 100-150 people who apply and meet the criteria, it depletes the fund.”

Helen Keller Hospital is the sole beneficiary of tobacco taxes in Colbert County after the cost of purchasing tax stamps and paying someone to administer the program is deducted.

The tax was created in 1957 and was known as the “Colbert County Public Hospital Tax.” The proceeds of the tax were to be used for “acquiring, constructing, equipping, enlarging, improving, operating and maintaining” a hospital in Colbert County.

The act was amended in 1994 to add a 5-cent tax on “little cigars.”

In addition to the tobacco tax revenue, a 1982 legislative act provides that two-fifths of the county’s local beer tax revenue is earmarked for the county’s hospital fund.

The hospital received about $230,000 in 2010 from the county in the form of tobacco and beer taxes.

The act regarding beer was sponsored by the late Rep. Joe Goodwin, D-Muscle Shoals, when Colbert County voters approved the legal sale of alcohol in 1982.

Colbert County, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia school systems each receive one-tenth of the beer taxes and one-fifth goes to the county’s general fund.

James Brumley, the county’s general fund accountant, said total tobacco taxes have fallen slightly during the past couple of years while the cost of collecting the taxes has increased.

The amount of tobacco tax revenue going to the hospital has decreased from $109,856 in 2004 to $35,531 in 2010.

“The cost of collecting the tax has gone up a good bit with the increasing cost of printing the actual stamps that are placed on the tobacco products.” Brumley said. “This explains the reduction in monies that the hospital actually receives and the fluctuations.”

Colbert County Commissioner Jimmy Gardiner said he knew the hospital received a portion of the county’s beer tax revenue, but not the tobacco taxes.

“I was not aware it was that much of the tobacco taxes,” he said. “With the deficits at Keller Hospital, they need that more than ever right now.”

A Keller Hospital spokeswoman said the sin tax revenue is placed in the hospital’s general fund.

Lauderdale County Administrator Jenoice Bevis said tobacco taxes are split between the county and Florence city school systems after expenses are deducted.

“There was an act that set ours up,” Bevis said. “It doesn’t generate a lot of money.”