The following letter was published in the Grand Island Independent on March 4, 2018.
The Nebraska Legislature is currently considering a number of proposals to increase the tax on tobacco in our state. I want to lend my voice to the chorus of supporters singing the praises of this approach.
Significantly raising taxes and prices on tobacco products saves lives. We know that it reduces the number of people who decide to try tobacco products and it supports people who are ready to quit. Our most price-sensitive populations — kids, pregnant women and the low-income — are the most likely to quit tobacco when the price goes up. We also know that if we do not do something to change the trend, 38,000 kids living in Nebraska today will ultimately die prematurely due to smoking.
It’s important to me because my entire family smoked heavily when I was a child. I now have health problems due to secondhand smoke. My mother was diagnosed with cancer about three years prior to her death. I don’t want anyone to go through what our family has faced in the wake of this disease. We can spare others from this pain. Reducing tobacco use through an increase in tobacco taxes makes this decision an easy one.
I asked our senator, Curt Friesen, to support raising the tobacco tax all the way to passage.
Linda Schick
Grand Island, NE