Strategies for Increasing State Tobacco Taxes

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Her Addiction Is About To Start.
We Can Help Stop It. Tobacco Control Policies
Work
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Tobaccos Toll in Virginia
Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of
death, killing more than 9,000 Virginia
residents each year Tobacco costs more than
1.6 billion in annual health care
costs Every year in Virginia - More than
34,000 kids try their first cigarette -
Another 15,700 kids become new daily smokers -
1/3 of whom will die from smoking-caused
diseases
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The Antidote
Policies Programs REAL CHANGE

• Increase Tobacco Taxes
• Strong Smoke-free Laws
• Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs

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Tobacco Taxes

• A WIN for public health and kids (prevents and
  reduces youth and adult smoking)
• A WIN for the state budget (reliable, predictable
  source of much-needed revenue)
• A WIN among voters

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Recent Cigarette Tax Increases

• 38 states and the District of Columbia have
  implemented or passed new cigarette tax increases
  since January 1, 2002.
• In November 2004, voters in three states (CO, MT,
  OK) approved increases in their state tobacco
  tax.
• Many states passed multiple tax increases
• The statewide average is now 84 cents per pack

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Recent Cigarette Tax Increases
WASHINGTON 142.5
MONTANA 170
MAINE 100
NORTH DAKOTA 44
VT119
MINNESOTA 48
OREGON 118
VT
IDAHO 57
NH52
WISCONSIN 77
SOUTH DAKOTA 53
NEW YORK 150
MA
MA151
WYOMING 60
RI246
MICHIGAN 200
CT
CT151
IOWA 36
PENNSYLVANIA 135
NJ240
NEBRASKA 64
NEVADA 80
OHIO 55
DELAWARE55
UTAH 69.5
IN 55.5
ILLINOIS 98
WV 55
20 VIRGINIA
MARYLAND100
COLORADO 84
KANSAS 79
MISSOURI 17
DC100
87
KENTUCKY 3
CALIFORNIA
NORTH CAROLINA 5
TENNESSEE 20
OKLAHOMA 103
ARKANSAS 59
ARIZONA 118
NEW MEXICO 91
SOUTH CAROLINA 7
GEORGIA 37
ALABAMA 42.5
MS 18
TEXAS 41
36 LOUISIANA
ALASKA 160
FLORIDA 33.9
HAWAII 140
States that have recently passed or implemented a
cigarette tax increase (since 1/1/2002)
Oregon actually decreased its cigarette tax by 10
cents on 1/1/04.
November 10, 2004
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Average State Cigarette Tax

Current average 84 cents
2001 average 43 cents
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Virginia

• Virginias 20 cent tax currently ranks 45th in
  the nation
• Virginia increased its tobacco tax in 2004 (the
  tax was previously 2.5 cents per pack)
• 17.5-cent increase effective 9/1/04
• 10-cent increase effective 7/1/05
• 10 tax on wholesale price of other tobacco
  products effective 3/1/05

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Benefits of the tax increase in Virginia

• Prevent 24,000 Virginia kids from becoming
  smokers
• Spur some 21,000 current smokers to quit
• Save about 12,000 Virginians from smoking-caused
  deaths

One in every three kids addicted to smoking will
die as a result. Saving just one life is worth
raising the tobacco tax.
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Policies That Work

• Increase Tobacco Taxes
• Strong Smoke-free Laws
• Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs

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EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TO BREATHE CLEAN INDOOR AIR
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With Every Breath of Secondhand Smoke . . .

• A toxic soup of more than 4,000 chemical
  compounds
• Secondhand smoke contains at least 69 carcinogens

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What Is In Cigarette Smoke?
Ammonia . . . Benzene . . . Arsenic . . Nickel .
. . Lead. . . Polonium-210 . . . Carbon Monoxide
. . . Formaldehyde. . . Hydrogen Cyanide . . .
StyreneHydrazine . . Beryllium. . . Chromium
(only hexavalent) . . . Cadmium . . .
Acetaldhehyde . . . Ethyl carbamate . . .
Ethylene oxide . . . Propylene oxide . . .
Methyleugenol . . . Benzo(b)fluoranthene . . .
Vinyl chloride . . . 1,3-Butadeine. . .
Benzo(j)fluoranthene . . . Benzo(k)fluoranthene .
. . Benzo(a)pyrene . . . Dibenz(a,h)anthracene .
. . Dibenzo(a,l)pyrene . . . Dibenzo(a,e)pyrene .
. . Indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene . . .
5-Methylchrysene . . . N-Nitrosodimethylamine . .
. N-Nitrosoethylmethylamine Nitrosodiethylamine
. . . N-Nitrosodi-n-propylamine . . .
N-Nitroso-di-n-butylamine . . . . .
N-Nitrosopyrrolidine . . .N-Nitrosopiperidine . .
. And thousands more . . .
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More Than an AnnoyanceSecondhand Smoke Causes

• Cancer
• Heart Disease and Stroke
• Chronic Lung Ailments
• Asthma
• Respiratory Infections
• Low Birth Weight
• SIDS
• Eye and Nasal Irritation
• 38,000 to 65,000 U.S. deaths each year

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100 Smoke-Free Workplaces

• Preserve EVERYONES right to breathe clean indoor
  air
• Protect EVERYONE from the harms of secondhand
  smoke
• Encourage patronage of restaurants bars
• Help smokers quit
• Make voters happy

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Smoke-Free Laws Are Sweeping The Country

• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Lincoln, Nebraska
• Fargo, North Dakota
• Columbus, Ohio
• Copperas Cove, Texas
• Winooski, Vermont
• Pueblo, Colorado
• Lexington, Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Maine
• Connecticut
• And many other states, cities and towns across
  the US

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Smoke-Free Laws
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Policies That Work

• Increase Tobacco Taxes
• Strong Smoke-free Laws
• Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs

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Prevention Programs Must Be

• Comprehensive
• Well-funded
• Free of tobacco industry influence
• Address high risk and diverse populations
• Sustained over time

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Tobacco Control Programs Policies

• Reduce youth smoking
• Help adult smokers quit
• Reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality
• Reduce smoking-caused health costs

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Comprehensive Programs Work
Reduce Smoking
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Comprehensive Programs Work
Save Money For Taxpayers
Massachusetts Saved 2 in direct health costs
for every dollar spent on tobacco prevention
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Comprehensive Programs Work
Save Lives
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Youth Smoking Prevalence VA vs. U.S.

• 28 decline among VA HS students in 2 years
• 23 decline in smoking among HS students
  nationally over same time period Note VA YTS
  Natl YRBS
• Smoking among VA middle school students declined
  by 45, from 11 to 6 in 2 years

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28.5
21.9
21
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Despite Success

• Only 4 states currently fund tobacco prevention
  at CDCs minimum level
• Only 8 more fund at even half the CDC minimum
• States cut over 200 million from tobacco
  prevention programs between FY02 FY04

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VirginiaFY04 Tobacco Money for Tobacco
Prevention
140.5 Million
125.5 Million Tobacco Settlement Revenues
38.9 Million
17.4 Million
15 M Tobacco Tax Revenues
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History of Tobacco Prevention Funding in Virginia
VAs FY03 Rank 10th VAs FY04 Rank 16th
33.7
32.4
49.3
57.1
44.8
Dollars (Millions)
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WE CANT STOP NOW

• Kids continue to smoke
• Millions continue to suffer from tobacco-related
  disease
• Cost of treating tobacco-related disease is HIGH

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WE CAN ALL PLAY A ROLE IN SOLVING THE PROBLEM
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WE MUST ALL PLAY A ROLE

• Sustaining support for Tobacco Programs and
  Policies requires the involvement of everyone.
• Tobacco prevention as a major priority is not yet
  a part of our culture.
• All of us have a stake in seeing that this
  effort succeeds. If it does, these types of
  prevention efforts will be as much a part of our
  fabric as childhood immunizations. If it
  doesnt, they wont.

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HOW?

• We must constantly educate our communities about
  our work and its results
• We need to help the media, the public, and
  policymakers understand our goals, activities,
  and accomplishments
• We have to build and demonstrate a broad and
  ongoing base of support

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