Reducing the Toll of Tobacco

Increasing Indiana’s Tobacco Tax: ACS CAN calls on Indiana lawmakers to increase the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack with a parallel tax on all other tobacco products including e-cigarettes. Increasing the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack would keep 10,100 kids from becoming adults who smoke, help 38,600 adults who smoke quit, and save 12,300 lives, all while generating $337.51 million in new annual revenue for the state. Additionally, a $2.00 per pack cigarette tax increase would save the state Medicaid program $10.2 million in the first five years following the tax increase. Increasing the tax on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, at the same time would produce additional health and economic benefits for Indiana. It is important that tax increases apply to all tobacco products at an equivalent rate to encourage people to quit rather than switch to a cheaper product and to prevent youth from starting to use any tobacco product.

Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding: ACS CAN will work to increase funding for fact-based, statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs to $15 million annually. Increasing funding to $15 million will prevent Hoosier youth from growing into adults addicted to deadly nicotine products, provide vital resources to help adults who want to quit smoking, and save hundreds of millions of dollars in averted healthcare and business costs associated with treating tobacco-related disease caused by tobacco products.

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