Smoking survey offers few surprises

Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services has released the findings of a special survey of students at middle schools and high schools across the state regarding smoking and the use of tobacco products. The results aren't terribly surprising. They show a majority of Missouri's students have either tried or regularly used tobacco products even though nearly all of them understand they could become addicted.

We live in a culture that has a split personality when it comes to tobacco. On the one hand, most of us are aware of the risks of using tobacco, and the survey of students found they, indeed, are informed about the potentially damaging consequences of smoking. On the other hand, our state government would like to remove some of the allure of smoking by imposing huge special taxes that are an important cog in the tax-generating wheel.

So the Missouri survey confirms that youngsters are still inclined to try tobacco products and, in some cases, become regular users. What does the health department propose to do about it? Thus far, there are no significant programs or options being offered.

That's because the only sure-fire way to protect us from our own choice to smoke is to ban tobacco products. But an outright ban would throw thousands of workers out of tobacco-industry jobs, eliminate an important source of revenue for tobacco farmers and significantly decrease state and federal revenue from tobacco taxes.

Given those complications, the health department's survey is interesting, but it will do little to curb what the results identify as a continuing problem with smoking among Missouri's youths.