Smokers Need Not Apply

No butts about it, if you're a smoker you won't be able to get a job at one county office. That's because the Palm Beach county tax collector's office just announced it will no longer hire smokers. Starting Thursday, the office won't hire anyone who has regularly used any type of tobacco product during the last year. Tax collector Anne Gannon says smoking contributes to increased insurance costs for her office and ultimately tax payers. Gannon commented that "There's not much to be said for smoking - it's a major cause of respiratory and circulatory disease, it contributes to increased insurance costs for us and the Palm Beach County tax payers, it's unhealthy to be around, and expensive these days". She hopes hiring non-smokers will encourage all workers to live a healthier lifestyle.