Raise it for Health coalition: Tobacco tax working

ST. PAUL, Minn., Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the Raise it for Health coalition, a group of Minnesota's leading health and nonprofit organizations, reacted today to the introduction of House File 700, which would repeal an annual increase on the tax on cigarettes.

"Raising the price of tobacco was a win for the health of all Minnesotans," said Janelle Waldock, Director of the Center for Prevention at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, and co-chair of the Raise it for Health coalition. "We are already witnessing the positive effects of the tobacco tax in our state. The adult smoking rate is at a new record low, and 20,000 fewer kids are smoking compared to just four years ago."

In 2013, Governor Dayton signed into law a price increase on tobacco products that included a $1.60 per-pack increase on cigarettes. Two recent surveys – the Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey (MATS) and the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey (MYTS) – have revealed great progress in reducing smoking since that time. Only 14.4 percent of adults now report smoking, down from 16.1 percent in 2010. The number of high-school students who smoke in Minnesota dropped to 10.6 percent, from 18.1 percent in 2011.

MATS findings provide evidence that increasing the price of tobacco supports smokers in quitting. Smokers reported that the 2013 tobacco tax increase influenced their smoking behaviors, with 60.8 percent of them thinking about quitting, 48.1 percent of them cutting down on smoking and 44.2 percent of them making quit attempts.

In addition, among smokers who quit in the past year, majorities said that the price increase helped them to make quit attempts (62.8 percent) and to stay smoke-free (62.7 percent).

"Legislators and Governor Dayton took a huge step toward protecting Minnesota kids from a lifetime of addiction to tobacco by increasing the tobacco tax," Waldock continued. "They should reject any attempt to weaken that progress. Now is not the time to protect tobacco industry profits."

According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the $1.60 per-pack increase will mean long-term health and costs savings, including:

• Preventing more than 47,700 kids from becoming addicted adult smokers;
• Saving more than 25,700 Minnesotans from premature smoking-related deaths;
• Saving Minnesotans more than $1.65 billion in long-term health care costs; and
• Helping over 36,600 current Minnesota smokers quit.

Raise it for Health is a coalition of Minnesota's leading health and nonprofit organizations who share a common goal of reducing tobacco use in the state. Raise it for Health partners include: AARP Minnesota, Allina Health, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association in Minnesota, Association for Nonsmokers – MN, Association of Minnesota Counties, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, CentraCare Health System, Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, ClearWay Minnesota^SM, Courage Center, Four Corners Partnership, HealthEast Care System, HealthPartners, LAAMPP Institute, Local Public Health Association, Mayo Clinic, Medica, Metro-MN Oncology Nursing Society, Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians, Minnesota Cancer Alliance, Minnesota Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association, Minnesota Council of Health Plans, Minnesota Medical Association, Minnesota Public Health Association, Park Nicollet Health Services, PartnerSHIP 4 Health, School Nurse Organization of Minnesota, Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota, Southwest Community Health Improvement Program, and Twin Cities Medical Society.

SOURCE Raise it for Health Coalition