TOPEKA, Kan. – In response to the adjournment of the 2017 session of the Kansas Legislature, a broad coalition of leading national, state and local health organizations issued the following statement:
“The Legislature missed out on an opportunity to prevent the smoking-related premature deaths of 61,000 Kansas children.
“By failing to implement a $1.50-per-pack cigarette tax increase, Kansas missed a significant opportunity to improve health. Significantly raising the price of tobacco decreases the number of youth who start smoking, increases the number of smokers who quit, cuts health care costs, and reduces deaths from lung and other cancers, heart attacks, strokes and other preventable diseases. A $1.50 tobacco tax increase would have also prompted 20,000 adults to quit.
“And such an increase would help slash our huge tobacco bill. Each year, Kansas’ spends $1.1 billion on tobacco-related health-care costs – with $237.4 million coming directly from taxpayers through the state Medicaid program. A $1.50 tax increase on all tobacco products would have generated more than $90 million in annual revenue.
“Because of the clear health benefits of significant tobacco tax increases, Kansans overwhelmingly support this tax increase. In fact, per the most recent Kansas Speaks poll, 69 percent of Kansas voters support tobacco tax increases.
“The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association of Kansas, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and many other health organizations advocated for $1.50-per-pack cigarette tax increase and a parallel increase on other tobacco products, because significant tobacco taxes are always a good idea. Without fail, tobacco tax increases save lives and cut health-care costs. While we are disappointed in this outcome, we will continue to work alongside lawmakers to ensure Kansas gets a tobacco tax increase that makes sense for the state.”
For more information and updates, follow the hashtag #DollarsAndSense4KS on Twitter.
#DollarsAndSense4KS is a coalition of:
American Academy of Pediatrics – Kansas Chapter
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College of Surgeons Kansas Chapter
American Heart Association
American Lung Association
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
El Centro
Healthy Communities Wyandotte
Kansas Academy of Family Physicians
Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved
Kansas Health Foundation
Kansas Hospital Association
KU Cancer Center
March of Dimes
Midwest Cancer Alliance
National Alliance on Mental Illness – NAMI Kansas
National MS Society
Oral Health Kansas
United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition
Tobacco Free Wichita
Via Christi
###