CHEYENNE, Wyo.—Nov. 16, 2017—Cancer advocates across Wyoming mark the American Cancer Society’s 42nd annual Great American Smokeout today by urging the Legislature to pass a $1 tobacco tax increase in 2018. Lawmakers can help people quit tobacco successfully and protect youth from a lifetime of deadly addiction by passing strong tobacco control legislation and policies, including regular and significant tobacco tax increases.
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in Wyoming and the nation, contributing to roughly 30 percent of all cancer deaths. Each year, 800 Wyoming residents die from smoking. At just 60 cents per pack, Wyoming’s current cigarette tax is one of the lowest in the nation and both high schoolers and adults in the Cowboy State use tobacco at above-average rates.
As the Society’s advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supports evidence-based strategies proven to reduce tobacco use including comprehensive smoke-free laws, increasing tobacco taxes, and adequately funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
"The American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout is a day to encourage tobacco users to quit, and we know one of the most effective ways to help people quit tobacco and keep kids from becoming addicted to these deadly products is raising the tobacco tax by at least $1," said Jason Mincer, ACS CAN Wyoming government relations director.
ACS CAN and other major health organizations in Wyoming call for a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase with an equal tax on other tobacco products including chewing tobacco. This parity on other tobacco products will generate additional state revenue, as well as public health benefits and cost savings.
In early December, the Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee decides whether to move this tobacco tax bill forward in the 2018 legislative session. Every state that has raised its tobacco tax by at least $1 has seen a sharp decrease in the number of cigarette packs sold, leading to fewer kids starting to smoke and less preventable disease and death.
The $1 tobacco tax increase will prevent 2,400 Wyoming kids from using tobacco, help 2,800 current smokers quit and save 1,400 Wyoming lives from premature, tobacco-related deaths. Additionally, the $1 price increase of tobacco products will generate roughly $22 million in new revenue at a time when the state faces budget challenges.
Tobacco tax increases must be large enough to produce a meaningful jump in retail prices despite the tobacco industry’s attempts to manipulate prices and lessen the consumer impact of the tax increase. In 2015, the tobacco industry spent more than $8.2 billion on cigarette marketing, with nearly 73 percent of that money spent on price discounts and coupons to reduce cigarette prices.
"Big Tobacco regularly uses coupons and discounts to minimize the ‘sticker shock’ effect of a smaller tobacco tax increase," Mincer added. "To account for price discounting, we push for significant increases of at least $1 because this amount is too large for the tobacco industry to absorb, and it’s an amount that will ensure a meaningful impact on reducing tobacco use and improving health in our state."
For resources to help quit tobacco on this 42nd Great American Smokeout, visit www.cancer.org/smokeout or call the quit line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
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.
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