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What to watch in North Dakota's Legislature: Common Core, tobacco taxes, surge funding

By JAMES MacPHERSON  Associated Press

BISMARCK, North Dakota — The North Dakota Legislature will remain busy this week introducing and finishing voting on bills in their respective chambers, including those that address education standards, tobacco taxes and surge funding.

COMMON CORE

North Dakota’s House is slated to vote this week whether to repeal new state English and math standards that outline what students should know and when. The House Education Committee voted 9-4 last week to give the bill a do-not-pass recommendation.

Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, is sponsoring the legislation to repeal Common Core education standards for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. Kasper and other critics believe the standards represent a federal takeover of education.

Backers contend the standards provide students with the critical thinking and writing skills needed for college and the workforce.

North Dakota adopted the standards in 2011 and began to fully implement them during the current school year. Assessments based on the new standards will start for all students this spring.

North Dakota School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said more than 130 educators from around the state were involved in helping develop the Common Core standards.

TOBACCO TAXES

North Dakota hasn’t raised it tax on tobacco since 1993 and the streak appears to have no immediate end in sight.

Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, is pushing the bill that would raise the state’s cigarette tax from 44 cents to $1.54 a pack, equal to the national average. Tax on a can of snuff would jump from 60 cents to $2.72.

Nelson believes the measure will save lives by deterring young people from taking up the habit.

Retailers have successfully fought off several attempts to raise the state’s tobacco tax in the past two decades, arguing that it punishes retailers and unfairly targets low-income North Dakotans.

The House Finance and Taxation Committee voted 12-2 to give the bill a do-not-pass recommendation. The full House will decide whether to reject the measure on smokes, chew and chewing tobacco.

North Dakota ranks 46th among states in the amount of tax smokers pay. New York charges the most state excise tax in the nation at $4.35. A $1.54-per-pack tax would put North Dakota more in line with neighboring states

SURGE FUNDING

North Dakota’s Senate already has approved $1.1 billion in special funding so that infrastructure projects can begin by this summer. The measure is slated to go before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

The “surge funding” bill that would fast-track funding to cities, school districts and communities impacted by North Dakota’s exploding growth.

House budget writers have asked cities, counties and townships to provide a detailed listing of “shovel ready” projects and the estimated cost of each project that would be completed this year.

HEITKAMP BILL

A bill that would prohibit the governor from appointing a successor to a vacant North Dakota congressional seat is slated to be heard by the House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee this week.

Republican Rep. Roscoe Streyle, a Minot banker, introduced the bill, which is response to a rumored gubernatorial bid next year by popular freshman Democratic U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.

She’s been mum on the subject.

Heitkamp won’t be up for re-election in the Senate until 2018. Republican Gov. Jack Dalrymple hasn’t said whether he plans to seek another term as governor.

Heitkamp is the only Democrat holding a statewide office in North Dakota. The former state auditor and attorney general unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2000.

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/4d58129cf6c1441ba45a72e5de9185da/ND–In-the-Legislature

Bismarck Tribune: Legislators need to get tobacco bill right

Bismarck Tribune Editorial Board:

On the surface, a bill to raise tobacco taxes would seem a no-brainer to many North Dakotans.

The state ranks 46th nationally in tobacco taxes at 44 cents per pack, ahead of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Virginia.

Supporters of a higher tax argue it will deter young people from picking up the habit, nudge smokers to quit and provide more money to the state.

House Bill 1421 would raise the state’s cigarette tax to $1.54 per pack and increase the excise tax on other tobacco products from 28 percent of the wholesale purchase price to 43.5 percent.

There have been efforts to raise tobacco taxes since 1993, with the latest failed attempt in 2013. A hearing this week on the bill pitted health care officials against business interests.

Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association, suggested the state shouldn’t tamper with an economy that remains robust. He said his association opposes the bill, and that increasing the tax would make it more difficult for retailers along the Montana and South Dakota borders, states where the taxes would be lower.

However, Dr. Eric Johnson, of Grand Forks, noted the state gets a flunking grade from the American Lung Association when it comes to tobacco taxes.

Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, said the bill is intended to stop young preople from smoking, while generating an estimated $103.5 million in new revenue in the 2015-17 biennium.

Supporters of the bill expect to have it both ways. They predict the higher taxes will prevent approximately 7,500 people younger than 18 from smoking and prompt an estimated 8,000 adult smokers to quit. They also see a possible $300 million in savings in future health care expenditures. It’s likely fewer smokers will result in fewer health problems and reduce the impact on health care. Plus supporters expect the $103.5 million in new revenue.

Fewer smokers is a laudable goal — there’s no doubt that tobacco poses a health risk and increases medical costs for everyone. The bill’s health benefits should be the focus of legislative action — we shouldn’t be looking at the dollar signs.

Smoking remains legal, though where smoking can occur has been limited. Raising taxes for health reasons has merit, but raising them to punish people doesn’t.

Under the bill, 60 percent of new revenue would go toward health-related programs in the state’s Community Health Trust Fund. The rest would go to local communities for health-related programs.

Designating the money for health programs shouldn’t translate into funding more anti-smoking campaigns that already are well-financed. There are more deserving programs than can be counted. The Legislature needs to ensure the money goes to the right programs.

North Dakota needs to do everything it can to prevent more people from smoking and to encourage smokers to quit. Lawmakers need to take a close look at HB1421 to be sure it achieves those goals. It shouldn’t be done to create a new revenue stream.

Done correctly, HB1421 should be approved. Improving the health of the state’s residents should be the goal of all North Dakotans.

http://bismarcktribune.com/news/opinion/editorial/legislators-need-to-get-tobacco-bill-right/article_629fb919-ead5-52b0-b62b-0a5143d7e6a9.html

Increases in tobacco tax opposed by businesses

By Mike Nowatzki, Forum Communications

BISMARCK — Retailers and distributors urged state lawmakers Tuesday to snuff out a bill that would raise North Dakota’s tobacco taxes for the first time in 22 years, warning it could have a “devastating” impact on businesses, spur cigarette smuggling and unfairly burden smokers who can least afford it.

Backers of the $1.10-per-pack increase in House Bill 1421 said it will put North Dakota on par with the national average, save millions in avoided health care costs, prevent young people from starting smoking and give adults the incentive they need to quit.

“I look at it as a silent intervention,” Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the House Finance and Taxation Committee during a standing-room-only hearing at the Capitol.

The president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association, which lobbied successfully against a similar bill last session, said cigarettes are the top revenue generator for convenience stores, accounting for 32 percent of in-store sales nationwide.

Raising the tax could drive smokers across state lines or to the Internet or American Indian reservations, where tobacco isn’t taxed, Mike Rud said.

“With the retail sector of the state’s economy hitting on all cylinders, why would any legislator support throwing a wrench into the economic engine?” he said.

Bill supporters lamented that North Dakota’s current excise tax of 44 cents per pack is the 46th lowest in the nation and hasn’t been raised since 1993.

The bipartisan bill would boost the tax to $1.54 per pack, which is the national average and 1 cent higher than South Dakota’s tax. Taxes would increase from $0.60 to $2.72 per ounce on snuff, and from $0.16 to $0.73 per ounce on chewing tobacco.

Rep. Kathy Hogan, D-Fargo, a bill co-sponsor, said the proposed tax was intentionally kept at or below the tax leves of surrounding states so as not to disadvantage North Dakota businesses. Montana’s tax is $1.70 per pack, while Minnesota’s is $2.90, seventh highest among states.

Committee member Rep. Wayne Trottier, R-Northwood, asked Nelson if the tax hike would end up “on the backs of children” of low-income parents who choose to keep smoking. Nelson and others acknowledged that statistics show smoking rates are higher among the less affluent, but he said the higher tax will hopefully make them think twice about smoking.

“If children don’t rank higher than a pack of cigarettes or a pouch of Copenhagen, for example, then what have we become?” he said.

The tax hike would boost state revenue by an estimated $138.6 million in the 2015-17 biennium, assuming an 11 percent drop in cigarette consumption and 15 percent drop in use of other tobacco products, according to the bill’s fiscal note. North Dakota collected roughly $31 million from cigarette and tobacco taxes last year, up from $21 million in 2004.

Sixty percent of the new tax revenue would go into the state’s Community Health Trust. Counties and cities would receive 25 percent and 15 percent, respectively, for local public health and safety programs.

Dr. Eric Johnson, president of Tobacco Free North Dakota, said North Dakota is a leader in tobacco prevention and control programs and has a strong smoke-free indoor air law.

“That’s really the hole in our preventive strategy right now,” he said of the tax.

Paul Mutch, owner of Mutch Oil Co. in Larimore, about 25 miles west of Grand Forks, said it’s “unbelievable” that a state in North Dakota’s financial condition would consider raising taxes on anything. He said a tobacco tax would hit the middle class the hardest.

“The lady on Social Security who comes in and buys two cartons per week as she carries an oxygen tank is not going to quit smoking because they now cost more,” he said in written testimony.

A companion bill, Senate Bill 2322, would raise the cigarette tax to $2 per pack. That bill has its first hearing Wednesday.

http://www.jamestownsun.com/news/state/3671277-increases-tobacco-tax-opposed-businesses

Proposed tobacco tax hike debated

By Nick Smith, Bismarck Tribune

Screen Shot 2015-02-08 at 5.28.04 PMHealth care officials gathered to voice support Tuesday for an increase to the state’s tobacco tax while business leaders lined up in defense of the status quo.

Nearly 50 people packed the Fort Totten Room for the hearing on House Bill 1421 before the House Finance and Taxation Committee.

HB1421 takes aim at North Dakota’s tax rate for tobacco. The state ranks 46th nationally in tobacco taxes at 44 cents per pack, ahead of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Virginia.

HB1421 would raise the state’s cigarette tax to $1.54 per pack. It would also raise the excise tax on other tobacco products from 28 percent of the wholesale purchase price to 43.5 percent.

Similar legislation died in 2013, one of several previous unsuccessful legislative efforts to raise the tax since it was last increased in 1993.

“This bill is intended to stop young people from beginning to smoke. This is primarily for the health of North Dakota,” said Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, who estimated $103.5 million in new revenue would be generated during the 2015-17 biennium.

That figures does not include the $50 million per biennium the state’s general fund would still receive in tobacco taxes.

Sixty percent of new revenue would go toward health-related programs in the state’s Community Health Trust Fund. The rest would go to local communities for health-related programs.

Cost of prevention

Data from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids says a cigarette tax of $2 per pack would prevent approximately 7,500 people younger than 18 to not smoke and prompt an estimated 8,000 adult smokers to kick the habit. The organization also claims this could result in $300 million in savings in future health care expenditures.

“With the retail sector of the state’s economy hitting on all cylinders, why would any legislator support throwing a wrench into the economic engine?” asked Mike Rud, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Marketers Association.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 2012 shows that tobacco use isn’t a major problem in North Dakota, according to Rud, pointing out that North Dakota ranked 37th in adult smoking and 49th in smokeless tobacco use. Rud said among youth smokers North Dakota ranked 34th among 44 states reporting data.

“Contrary to what some may believe, North Dakota retailers don’t stand in the driveway or on the storeroom floor attempting to sell tobacco products,” Rud said. “We simply attempt to meet consumer demand. Don’t tie our hands.”

Dr. Eric Johnson, of Grand Forks, said North Dakota largely gets top marks from the American Lung Association’s annual state by state report card on tobacco control. Prices are the one area in which North Dakota gets a flunking grade, which Johnson called the main hole in the state’s tobacco cessation program.

Johnson also criticized the state for being 46th in tobacco taxes.

“If we were 46th in diabetes and obesity management, I don’t think we’d be happy with that,” Johnson said.

Paul Mutch, owner of Mutch Oil Company in Larimore, also voiced opposition to HB1421.

Mutch said, with national discussion on middle class needs and taxes, he found it odd the state would consider raising any taxes that would impact lower-income individuals most. CDC data puts 32 percent of North Dakotans earning less than $15,000 annually as smokers compared to 15.5 percent for those earning more than $50,000.

“I don’t believe raising taxes would result in any fewer smokers,” Mutch said. “Just more North Dakota residents with less money in their pockets for the things they really need.”

http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/proposed-tobacco-tax-hike-debated/article_421fdf67-d289-5036-ae3c-a170e0e882a4.html

Grand Forks Park Board still uncertain on tobacco ban

By Charly Haley, Grand Forks Herald

After about 15 people stood up simultaneously during a Grand Forks Park Board meeting Tuesday and told the board they support tobacco-free parks, most board members remained uncertain about banning tobacco use.

“A general issue is, does the Park Board want to keep in fidelity with its mission to promote a healthy lifestyle?” said Jim Whitehead, a representative of the Coalition for a Healthy Greater Grand Forks, to the board.

A ban on all tobacco use, both smoking and chewing, has been discussed by the Park Board for about two years. The idea is championed by Park Board member Molly Soeby, but other board members haven’t stated clear opinions on the issue.

In a back-and-forth between audience members speaking in favor of a tobacco ban, most Park Board members said the answer isn’t simple.

“I don’t think any of us are here to say we want smoking for our kids,” board member Tim Skarperud said. But, “We already have a pretty substantial law in place, and are we here to set laws?”

Board President Jay Panzer agreed.

“Who are we to make additional laws above and beyond what the city has already done?” Panzer said.

Grand Forks city code prohibits smoking at the Park District’s softball fields and golf courses, but that does not include chewing tobacco, and the law does not encompass playgrounds or dog parks, Soeby said.

She offered health statistics in favor of a full tobacco ban, including that more children than adults chew tobacco in North Dakota, at 13.8 percent of children versus 7.6 percent of adults.

Other board members said they agree there are health problems associated with tobacco use, but they still aren’t sure about the effectiveness of a tobacco ban, especially because it would be difficult to enforce.

Board member Paul Barta said he’s also undecided, but he’s leaning in favor of the Park Board “setting the trend” by banning all tobacco use in public parks.

While several audience members spoke in favor of the tobacco ban, none spoke against it.

“You have people here, in chairs, telling you how important this is for Grand Forks,” one audience member said. “Where are they?”

LaDouceur, Skarperud and Panzer said they’ve received several calls from people against the ban, and they want to consider those people, too, in making a decision.

“There are certain people that want to be out in the front like this,” Skarperud said, referring to the audience at the meeting, “and there are certain people we talk to behind the scenes.”

Park District Director Bill Palmiscno said he’s hopeful the Park Board will vote in favor of some sort of expanded tobacco ban, whether that’s banning all tobacco use in parks or extending the smoking ban to all parks.

“I don’t want us to not move forward because we can’t have a compromise,” Palmiscno said. “I would rather get part of this done than nothing done.”

Park Board members did not vote on a tobacco policy Tuesday.

Palmiscno said he’d have Park District staff draft two ordinances — one with a full tobacco ban, and another with an increased ban — to be reviewed at a future board meeting.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/news/local/3670918-grand-forks-park-board-still-uncertain-tobacco-ban

Pro-business lobby speaks out against ND tobacco tax bills

By Nick Smith / Bismarck Tribune

BISMARCK – Lawmakers attempting to raise the state’s tax on tobacco products for the first time in more than two decades acknowledge long odds as they face off with business groups that have successfully beaten back previous efforts.

One tobacco tax bill has been introduced in each chamber. The head of a state retail association says lawmakers’ efforts are misguided and would hurt businesses when the state is wrestling with a potentially tough budgeting effort due to slowing oil activity.

North Dakota ranks 46th nationally in tobacco taxes at 44 cents per pack, higher than Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Virginia. The price hasn’t been raised since 1993.

The two pieces of legislation aimed at tobacco taxes are House Bill 1421 and Senate Bill 2322.

HB1421 would raise the state’s cigarette tax to $1.54 per pack. It would also raise the excise tax on other tobacco products from 28 percent of the wholesale purchase price to 43.5 percent. The House Finance and Taxation Committee picks up the bill at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

SB2322 would raise the cigarette tax in the state to $2 per pack.

North Dakota Retail Association President Mike Rud is adamant in his opposition.

“This isn’t the time to tax any business in North Dakota,” Rud said. “The idea that a tax increase is going to help people not smoke, it doesn’t hold any water.”

HB1421 prime sponsor Rep. Jon Nelson, R-Rugby, disagreed.

“We’ll just present factual data that should support the fact that this will decrease the number of smokers,” Nelson said.

The recently unveiled legislation was touted along with data from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

The organization’s data says a cigarette tax of $2 per pack would prevent an estimated 7,500 people younger than 18 to not smoke and prompt an estimated 8,000 adult smokers to kick the habit. The organization also claims this could result in $300 million in savings in future health care expenditures.

Long odds

Nelson admitted the tobacco tax bills face long odds: Similar legislation failed in 2013.

“We’re going to need a lot of help from our stakeholder groups to get over the hill,” Nelson said.

He said HB1421 would generate an estimated $103.5 million during the 2015-17 biennium. This doesn’t include the $50 million per biennium the state’s general fund would still receive in tobacco taxes.

“I think public sentiment is the main thing,” Nelson said. “We need the public to weigh in.”

Through HB1421, 60 percent of the new revenue would go toward health-related programs in the state’s Community Health Trust Fund, Nelson said. The rest would go to local communities for health-related programs.

Low smoking rates

Rud countered with 2012 data from the Centers for Disease control and prevention that shows tobacco use isn’t a major problem in North Dakota.

“North Dakota’s smoking rates are very low despite the state having some of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation,” Rud said.

He said North Dakota in 2012 ranked 37th in adult smoking and 49th in smokeless tobacco use. Rud said among youth smokers, North Dakota ranked 34th among 44 states reporting data.

“Proponents of raising the state’s tobacco taxes would have us believe that low taxes are encouraging more tobacco use. But that contention isn’t supported by the data,” Rud said.

SB2322 prime sponsor Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, said the key target in tobacco tax legislation is youth.

“If we can keep them from smoking up to age 18, the odds of them ever smoking is close to zero,” Mathern said.

Mathern said North Dakotans have had smoke-free public places since June 2012. He said arguments against smoke-free public places were that it would negatively impact restaurants and bars.

“The scares that were around before … have proven not to be the case,” Mathern said.

He said retailers, such as gas stations, also have little to worry about.

“I would say to all these store owners: Do they want their children to smoke? Do they smoke? Consider the broader implications,” Mathern said.

Mathern said he believed the savings on health care to employees and having more healthy customers alive and able to come into their stores for other purchases would offset the losses in tobacco sales.

http://www.inforum.com/news/3670143-pro-business-lobby-speaks-out-against-nd-tobacco-tax-bills

Fewer Fargo High School students smoking, binge drinking

By Helmut Schmidt | Fargo Forum
FARGO – The percentage of Fargo High School students taking up cigarette smoking is dropping fast, and fewer students are binge drinking.

But other risks are coming to the fore, including what appears to be higher rates of depression and thoughts of suicide. Students also report a high rate of texting, emailing and talking on cellphones as they drive.

One out of five Fargo high school students polled were bullied electronically, while nearly one in 10 students said they were physically hurt by someone they were dating.

Statistics from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey paint a stark picture of the challenges faced by youths today, said Ron Schneider, a counselor at Fargo’s Woodrow Wilson High School.

Presenting the survey results and trend data to the School Board Tuesday, Schneider said it’s vital for family, teachers and school officials to make connections with young people.

“The more connections, the more relationships, the less likely they get involved with negative behavior,” Schneider said.

Among the findings:

  • Depression is a problem that’s either on the rise, or it has become more acceptable to talk about, Schneider said. “My guess is it’s a little of both,” he said. In 2013, 26.9 percent of Fargo students polled in grades 9-12 felt sad or hopeless almost every day for two or more weeks straight, up from 22.7 percent in 2009, the survey showed.
  • Of those surveyed, 16.8 percent had seriously considered suicide in the previous year, 12.4 percent had made a plan about how they would attempt suicide and 11.6 percent had attempted suicide one or more times in that year.
  • About two out of three young drivers are so hooked on their cellphones they can’t put them down when driving. Among Fargo students surveyed, 57.3 percent said they had texted or emailed while driving in 2013. Meanwhile, 67 percent of Fargo students said they had talked on a cellphone while driving in 2013.
  • In Fargo, 8.6 percent of students surveyed in 2013 reported being hurt by someone they dated, with that rising to 9.7 percent statewide.
  • Also, 10.1 percent of Fargo high school students in 2013 said they had been physically forced to have sexual intercourse, compared with 7.7 percent of those polled statewide.
  • About 20.1 percent of Fargo students said they had been electronically bullied, compared with 17.1 percent statewide.
  • Nearly a third of Fargo students, 28.7 percent, said they had an alcoholic drink in the last 30 days. It was 35.3 percent statewide.

Drug use

Schneider said it appears that the use of other chemicals has stabilized.

  • In 2013, 19.6 percent of Fargo students had tried marijuana in the last 30 days, compared with 15.9 percent statewide.
  • About 10.7 percent of Fargo students said they had sniffed glue, huffed from aerosol cans, or inhaled paints or spray to get high, while 5.6 percent said they had used methamphetamines.
  • In 2013, 20.5 percent of Fargo students said they had illegally used prescription drugs such as OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, codeine, Adderall, Ritalin or Xanax.
  • About 13.5 percent of Fargo high school students used over-the-counter drugs to get high in 2013, while 10.8 percent said they had used synthetic drugs such as K2, Spice or bath salts.
  • About 12.5 percent of students polled in 2013 said they had attended school drunk or high in the last 30 days.

Some positives

  • Regular smokers, Fargo teens who had smoked a cigarette on 20 of the last 30 days before the 2013 poll, dropped significantly, from 11.1 percent in 2009 to 3.9 percent in 2013.
  • About 21 percent of Fargo students reported smoking cigarettes, cigars or using chewing tobacco, snuff or dip in the last 30 days in the 2013 poll.
  • Binge drinking declined, as 17.7 percent of Fargo students in 2013 said they had five or more drinks in a couple of hours, compared with 23.9 percent in 2009. Statewide, 21.9 percent reported binge drinking in 2013, compared with 30.7 percent in 2009.

Sexually active

Many young people reported that they were sexually active. Of the students surveyed in 2013:

  • 39.7 percent of Fargo high school students reported that they had sexual intercourse, compared with 44.9 percent statewide.
  • 12.4 percent of Fargo students said they had sex with four or more partners during their lives.
  • 51.7 percent of Fargo students said they had used a condom during their last sexual experience, compared with 56.3 percent statewide.

http://www.inforum.com/content/fewer-fargo-high-school-students-smoking-binge-drinking

Letter to the Editor: Stop glamorizing the role of tobacco in baseball

Chris Hansen, Washington | The Washington Post

Just weeks after the early death of beloved baseball star Tony Gwynn from cancer likely caused by chewing tobacco, and just days after World Series-winning pitcher Curt Schilling told the world he attributes his cancer to years of chewing tobacco, The Post irresponsibly leads an article about the Washington Nationals with the portrayal of chewing tobacco use as a rally-inducing, lucky superstition [“Nationals’ luck runs out against Phillies thanks to stellar performance by Burnett,” Sports, Aug. 27].

To all the young baseball fans who look to The Post each morning to see if their heroes won last night: Tobacco causes those heroes to suffer nicotine addiction, disease and death. Stephen Strasburg recently stated publicly that he is trying to quit using chewing tobacco but that it is very hard to quit. It is time for the team owners and the players association to eliminate tobacco from baseball, and it is time for the media to stop characterizing tobacco as a quaint part of baseball culture.

Instead of inducing winning rallies, tobacco in baseball induces life-shortening defeats — and that is the only coverage it deserves on the sports page of The Post.

The writer is president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/stop-glamorizing-the-role-of-tobacco-in-baseball/2014/08/31/cdd004dc-2e08-11e4-be9e-60cc44c01e7f_story.html

Schilling: Tobacco gave me cancer

Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling revealed Wednesday for the first time the type of cancer he was battling — squamous cell carcinoma, a type of mouth cancer — and detailed the painful treatment and recovery process that caused him to lose 75 pounds.

Telling his story for the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon on Wednesday morning, Schilling said he believes that a 30-year habit of chewing tobacco is what caused the cancer.

“I do believe, without a doubt, unquestionably that chewing was what gave me cancer,” he said. “I’m not going to sit up here from the pedestal and preach about chewing.”
The 47-year-old Schilling said he spent six months in the hospital with a feeding tube, undergoing chemotherapy and painful radiation treatment. During that time, he said, he developed a staph infection and there was a week of his life he doesn’t remember.
“I got chemo and radiation for [seven] weeks, and I came back to my room and my family was sitting there and I thought, ‘You know what, this could be so much worse. This could be one of my kids,'” Schilling said. “I’m the one guy in this family that can handle this. From that perspective, I’ve never said ‘Why me?’ and I never will.”
The most painful part of the treatment, he said, was the radiation, which he received five days per week for seven weeks. Schilling said doctors created a pliable mask to put on his face, an implement the former pitcher said was “the straitjacket for when they are giving you radiation.”
“The first day I went in, they clamped [the mask] down, they do the radiation into the tumors,” Schilling said. “The second day they did it. And about the third day I started developing almost a phobia and I literally had to be medicated for the seven weeks to go and do that. I couldn’t control myself under the mask.”
He added: “If this happened again, I’m not sure if I would go through the treatment again, it was that painful.”
Schilling said he’s lost so much weight because it is still painful to swallow — “I can’t put enough calories in my body” — and he is still shaky and weak at times.
He paused several times during the interview to take sips of water (he says he still does not have any saliva), and his voice sounded different than we’re used to hearing from Schilling. He is currently on leave from his job as an analyst on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast.

“Recovery is a challenge,” Schilling said. “There are so many things that are damaged during the process. I don’t have any salivary glands, I can’t taste anything and I can’t smell anything right now. And there’s no guarantee they’ll come back.”

Schilling reiterated that the cancer was in remission, a statement he tweeted to the world for the first time in June, and that his follow-up care includes doctor visits every 1-2 months and scans every few months to determine if the cancer has returned.

He described how he first discovered the cancer over the winter.

“This all came about from a dog bite,” Schilling explained.

He said the dog bite damaged his finger enough to send him to the doctor. On his way to see the physician, he felt a lump on the left side of his neck and decided to get it checked out with a nearby ear, nose and throat specialist.

“He did a biopsy and two days later he diagnosed me with squamous cell carcinoma,” Schilling said.

It is the same type of cancer former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly is suffering from.

“Commonly this is known as mouth cancer … cancer of the lining of the mouth,” said Schilling’s physician, Dr. Robert Haddad of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. “The lump in the neck is why most patients go to the doctor first because they feel the lump in the neck, that’s the lymph node that’s enlarged.”

This was Schilling’s second public appearance since the cancer diagnosis. In May, he appeared at Fenway Park as the Red Sox celebrated the 2004 World Series-winning team.

“It was weird,” Schilling explained of the appearance. “I was in the hospital at the time. They wouldn’t let me come over [to Fenway] and go back [to the hospital]. So I had to determine if I was OK and ready to be discharged. I said ‘Yeah, yeah, OK.’ And two days later I was back in the hospital. That’s why [my son] Gehrig walked out with me, because I was afraid I was going to fall on the way in because I was so discombobulated.”

He was asked Wednesday why he has stayed out of the spotlight in recent months, choosing only now to talk about it for the first time.

“I didn’t want people feeling sorry for me,” he said. “I didn’t want the pity, I didn’t want any of that stuff.”

Schilling pitched in the majors for 20 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros,Philadelphia Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Red Sox. The six-time All-Star finished with a career record of 216-146 and a 3.46 ERA. His 3,116 strikeouts rank 15th all time. He won two World Series titles with the Red Sox and one with the Diamondbacks.

Red Sox manager John Farrell noted how the use of smokeless tobacco is not prohibited on the big-league level, protected by the players’ collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball.

“MLB has taken steps to dissuade players from using it through educational programs that are administered to every team,” Farrell said. “It’s even got to the point [in the minor leagues] now where players can be fined if smokeless tobacco is in view of the general public. There have been some of those warnings and penalties levied on some of our players.

“I think we all recognize that it’s addictive and causes cancer. That’s proven. [But] at this time, it’s upon the player to make the conscious decision for himself to use it or not. All we can do is continue educate guys what the ramifications are. … On the heels of the unfortunate passing of Tony Gwynn and what Curt is going through, you would think this would be a current beacon for guys to take note that there’s a price to be paid, if you’re one of the unfortunate ones stricken by cancer.”

http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/11380584/curt-schilling-former-boston-red-sox-pitcher-says-chewing-tobacco-led-mouth-cancer

PLAYERS MAY CONSIDER TOBACCO BAN DISCUSSION IN '16

By RONALD BLUM, Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Major League Baseball players say they may consider whether to discuss a possible ban on chewing tobacco when they negotiate their next labor contract in two years. For now, they hope individuals decide on their own to stop dipping.

Players’ union head Tony Clark said Monday that several of his members have quit cold turkey following the death of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn on June 16 from oral cancer.

While the use of smokeless tobacco was banned for players with minor league contacts in 1993, it is permitted for players with major league deals. The labor agreement covering 2012-16 says players may not carry tobacco packages and tins in their back pockets when fans are permitted in ballparks, and they may not use tobacco during pregame and postgame interviews and at team functions.

“I think what we have been doing thus far has been a positive, and although I’m not going to offer you a bargaining proposal today on chewing tobacco, we could have that conversation,” Clark said Tuesday before the All-Star game.

“Then we will see where the guys are and continue the education and their appreciation for or against, or what the many considerations that need to be made in the area even look like, and we’ll have that conversation with Major League Baseball,” he said.

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, who plans to retire in January, promised “it will be a subject that they’ll discuss at the next collective bargaining” but acknowledged “I understand that individuals have the right to make their own decisions.”

Gwynn, 54 at his death, attributed his cancer to years of chewing tobacco.

“We believe that the numbers suggest that the usage has declined significantly, declined in the minor leagues, declined in the majors,” Clark said during a question-and-answer session with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “Our hope is that we continue to educate guys on that the damage that dipping can do, that they will continue to decide not to dip and chew.”

Clark, a former All-Star first baseman who never dipped, said Gwynn’s death “really smacks you between the eyes, and it’s unfortunate sometimes, that an event like that brings that decision instead of that decision being made beforehand.”

No change is planned during the current labor contract.

“We give the players the opportunity to make the decision that they’re going to make against the backdrop of it being legal,” Clark said. “We don’t condone it. They know we don’t condone it. … So at the end of the day, yes, we will continue to educate guys, and yes, the players will continue to have a decision that they make in that area.”

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/players-may-consider-tobacco-ban-discussion-16