Protecting Youth from Nicotine Addiction

The rapid rise in the number of youth who use tobacco products is a public health crisis that threatens to erode decades of progress made in reducing tobacco use and nicotine addiction. Massachusetts currently collects sales tax on e-cigarette/vape products, but not excise taxes. This bill would add an excise tax of 75% of wholesale to these products, increasing their prices and making them harder for young people to afford. Additionally, regularly increasing the price of cigars and cigarettes is one of the most effective ways to help smokers quit and prevent kids from starting. This bill would also increase the tax on cigarettes by $1, bringing it up to $4.51, and increase the tax on cigars from 40% of wholesale to 80%. History and evidence shows that this will reduce the smoking rate, saving some of the more than $4 billion in health care costs annually attributed to tobacco use in Massachusetts, and save lives.