The following letter was published in the Omaha World Herald on February 3, 2018.
The easiest way to stop a lifetime of smoking is never to start in the first place.
Our Legislature has a bill in hand that would raise the tobacco tax to $1.50 per pack of cigarettes. The American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network is urging lawmakers to pass that bill this year to reduce the number of people who start smoking and encourage those who want to quit but need a little more incentive.
The bill ended last session still in committee. This year I want to see it move forward. It’s important to me because I’m the parent of a teenager, and I know that the more expensive cigarettes are, the less kids find it worth it to try them.
As a volunteer for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network, I ask citizens to get behind this bill. Contact your lawmakers to let them know why this bill is important to you.