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West Virginia needs more anti-tobacco legislation

To the Editor,

Research has proven that regularly increasing taxes on tobacco products helps decrease tobacco use. This helps society in the long run, as this prevents people from getting cancer and decreases healthcare costs.

According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s website, West Virginia ranks first in the nation in tobacco use and second in the nation in tobacco-related deaths. My fellow American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network advocates and I want to do all that we can to help the state of West Virginia, and we would like to do so by meeting with lawmakers to help pass legislation that will reduce tobacco consumption, increase West Virginia’s tobacco taxes, and increase the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products to 21.

We are counting on the lawmakers of West Virginia to stand up to the tobacco industry, an industry that truly does not care about the well-being of the people it wants to sell its products to. The sooner anti-tobacco legislation passes, and the sooner cancer rates decline, the better.

Frank Decapio

Weirton

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