Tobacco Taxes: Solid Health Policy for Massachusetts

--Seldom are lawmakers faced with a proposal that will save lives, lower health costs, and raise revenue for use on other important health programs. But that's exactly what a $1 increase in the cigarette tax will do.

--There aren't many things that sell as well when their price goes up. Cigarettes are no exception. Raising the price of cigarettes is one of the single most effective means to move smokers to a place where they're ready to quit.

--Young people are particularly sensitive to the cost of tobacco products, so when we raise the tax, fewer kids get hooked. That's a good thing because for every three kids who smoke regularly, one will die early. For many young people, higher prices could make the difference between addiction and a life free of tobacco-related disease.

--Young people in Massachusetts are under relentless pressure from the tobacco companies. The industry spends millions of dollars a year promoting their deadly products and turning Massachusetts kids into the "replacement smokers" their internal industry documents describe. We need to do everything we can to help young people resist tobacco use, and high prices have a big impact.

--If a cigarette price increase isn't significant, smokers won't notice it and fewer will quit because of it. Nicotine is as addictive as heroin. Three quarters of smokers say they want to quit, but only one quarter are mentally and physically ready to do so. A big price increase can jolt many smokers into taking action.

--The tobacco companies will perpetuate myths and scare tactics about tobacco taxes that have no basis in reality. They'll say a cigarette tax increase will cause smokers to drive to New Hampshire or turn to the Internet. They'll say that tobacco revenue is unstable and that cigarette taxes are unfair to poor people. There is no evidence to support any of these claims. In fact, given that low income people have the least ability to pay for their cigarettes, the health impacts of tobacco use, or the treatment to help them quit, they have the most to gain by quitting or cutting back.

Click here to ask your Senator to keep Massachusetts healthy!