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At a forum in Charleston, WV, a former tobacco industry executive spoke about how cigarette companies target African Americans. According to LaTanisha Wright, who worked for the Brown & Williamson Corporation based in Louisville, KY, "They targeted black communities and youth. They post many more billboards and signs in black communities than in white communities."

According to Wright (who resigned when Brown & Williamson merged with J. R. Reynolds), "A lot of people living in black communities don't recognize that. My goal is to educate people in churches, schools and community centers, as well as public health officials."

West Virginia is first in the nation in the use of chewing tobacco, second in smoking during pregnancy, and third in the number of adult smokers in relation to the overall population.

Source: The Charleston Gazette: www.wvgazette.com.