Following is a statement from Kimberly Hughes, Mississippi government relations director at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), on the legislature’s failure to take up legislation on a tobacco tax increase that would have saved lives and money in Mississippi:
“Mississippi lawmakers made a disappointing decision to not take up legislation that could have saved lives from tobacco use. If they increased the price of tobacco by $1.50, lawmakers could have reduced tobacco use and, therefore, tobacco-related diseases, like cancer, saved in health care costs and increased revenue for the state.
“This legislation could have saved lives, stopped 22,800 kids from smoking and generated more than $166 million in new, annual, state revenue.
“Increasing the price of tobacco is one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from becoming addicted to these deadly products and to help encourage those already addicted to quit. ACS CAN and its partner organizations will continue working to pass and protect effective tobacco control policies that have been proven to save lives by establishing smoke-free workplaces, increasing tobacco taxes and funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
“This legislation is a simple tool to reduce cancer diagnoses and save lives in Mississippi. Lawmakers’ failure to take full advantage of this opportunity is unacceptable. We will continue to work with legislators to better protect the health of Mississippians”
Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable death nationwide. In Mississippi, an estimated 5,400 adults will die this year from their own smoking and 68,000 children currently under the age of 18 will ultimately die prematurely from smoking.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.