By Beth Christian
Broschart
The Parsons Advocate
PARSONS – Kris Kimble Ratliff, regional tobacco prevention specialist, said she spends lots of her time in West Virginia schools, helping students to never begin using tobacco products. She said she serves Tucker, Randolph, Hardy, Grant and Pendleton counties.
“I just completed speaking with 4-H campers in all five counties,” Ratliff said. “I also offer cessation classes to adults to help folks quit smoking and chewing.”
Ratliff said there are 600 ingredients in cigarettes – 200 are toxic poisons. “These include arsenic, tar, formaldehyde, ammonia that you clean your floors with,” Ratliff said. “Carbon monoxide and acetone – what you remove fingernail polish with – these are the same ingredients that are in paint thinner and battery acid.”
Ratliff held up a jar filled with thick, brown liquid. “If you smoke a pack of cigarettes a day, this is how much tar is in your lungs. Only 10 percent of folks who get lung cancer survive.”
“In West Virginia, we rank number one in smoking in the nation – 480,000 people die year from smoking,” Ratliff said. “We also rank number one in the nation for smokeless tobacco use – for guys 12 to 18 years of age. West Virginia also triples the nation’s rate of pregnant women who smoke – and what mommy does, baby does.”
Ratliff said smoking is the leading killer in the U.S., but it is also preventable. “Spit tobacco is not safe – it contains 28 cancer causing agents. A 30 minute dip is equal to four cigarettes – so if you dip all day, it is like smoking two packs of cigarettes each day.”
“Quitting is hard, but it is one thing that you can succeed at while being a quitter.”
Ratliff said West Virginia offers a quit line at 1-800-quitnow. “We offer 8 weeks of free gum, patches or lozenges for those who want to quit,” Ratliff said.
Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Robin McClintock of the Tucker County Planning Commission asked about the Commission’s plan for the Tucker County Courthouse Complex Sign.
“We discussed this for most of the year,” Moore said. “I am two-sided – I would like to move on this today, but I have respect for Robin and others who have to be part of the process. We (the Tucker County Courthouse) have been here since 1898 and we do not have a sign. We are looking to put up a sign that says Tucker County Courthouse Complex. All of the Commissioners agreed we want a sign that has the time and temperature and a space for a message. What Robin is asking for is a directory in addition to this, either with the sign or separate.”
“The Planning Commission Sign Committee has taken a look at other courthouses and how they handle similar situations,” McClintock said. “This, our courthouse, is on the National Historic Register. It has some National Historic Register signage on it and we understand that there is a need to direct people, to tell people, what this is and where to go. We also are aware we have a working clock – we have an analog clock we are all very proud of – and this is a really messy corner. We are concerned about the safety because of all the visual clutter that is there anyway.”
Moore said the Tucker County Planning Commission unanimously approved the sign at their last meeting, but said he would schedule a meeting with the Planning Commission, the Historical Commission, the Building Commission and the County Commission within the next two weeks. “Is that fair enough?” Moore asked.
Commissioners voted unanimously to table the Courthouse Complex Sign issue until the next meeting.
Tucker County Communications Director Dustin Luzier said the program received $100,000 from the state grant. “We asked for $112,000 so I am really happy,” he said. “We received $10,000 more than last year.”
The next Tucker County Commission meeting is slated for 4 p.m. July 22 in the Tucker County Courthouse Courtroom.
