Georgia doctors gathered today at the Capitol to encourage Congress to increase the state tax on cigarettes by one dollar per pack. The physicians spoke at the Capitol on Wednesday on behalf of the Bump It Up A Buck campaign. They delivered one thousand petitions to the Governor’s office arguing for the $1 hike. “Tobacco has no redeeming qualities,” said Dr. Harry Heiman of Morehouse Medical School at the press conference. “There is not ... Jump to full article >>

They stand waiting at the Manna House for a free lunch. They wait outside the Salvation Army for bed. Some don’t know where their next dollar is coming from. The cigarettes smoking between their fingers suggests how some spent their money. And now, some Georgia legislators want to get even more. A $1 tax on each pack of cigarettes would raise $354 million a year to help plug a big budget hole, they say. Others say no tax is a good tax. Wit ... Jump to full article >>

One experiment Albany Firefighters conducted tested new fire safe cigarettes now mandated in Georgia. Those cigarettes are designed to go out if you stop smoking them. Cigarettes cause fires that kill 700 people and injure 3,000 every year in the United States. 74 year old Audrey Baty died in an Albany house fire January 7th, and Investigators determined the fire was caused by a cigarette. That tragedy influenced firefighters to check out how sa ... Jump to full article >>