Yay to New York state! They have enacted a new tax on cigarrettes in the state. Packs of cigarettes now go for as high as $10-11 dollars and a carton in the hundred plus area. The state hopes to generate $440 million in revenue. New York now has the most expensive cigarettes in the country.
The biggest gain from the tax will be in the number of people quitting smoking. Based on the impact of previous cigarette tax increases, professionals have estimated that this will result in 120,000 fewer smokers and 23,000 fewer high school smokers. Granted some people will go out of state or turn to the black market for cheaper cigarettes but the truth remains clear that more people will give up the noxious habit as a result of the tax.
What would happen if California followed New York's lead? The impact on LGBT people can be great. In our state, LGBT people smoke twice the rate of other people. The impact on our youth can be even greater. 43.7% of LGBT youth in California smoke. Cigarette taxes really impact youth behavior because young people are more price sensitive to products - they have less money to spend on things. LGBT youth needs California to step up!
Maybe it will happen. Backers of a state initiative that would increase cigarette taxes by $1 a pack to provide more than $500 million a year to prevent, detect and treat cancer said that they have gathered enough signatures to put it on the ballot in 2012. The measure is sponsored by the American Cancer Society, the American Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. The money would go into a trust fund, and 60 percent would go toward research. Twenty percent would fund smoking cessation efforts and campaigns to prevent tobacco use, 15 percent would pay for facilities and equipment to support research and 3 percent would help police enforce anti-tobacco laws and stop tobacco smuggling. No more than 2 percent would be spent on administrative costs.
Let's see if California can follow the Big Apple's lead. A lot of queer kids will be grateful despite themselves.
Stay in Touch!
Keep track of the work Butt Out is doing by going to our website (www.butt-out.org/), friending us on Facebook (butt-outsanfrancisco) or by connecting with us on Twitter (twitter.com/buttoutsf).Butt Out is a project of Breathe California, funded by the San Francisco Tobacco Free Project, which works to get tobacco money out of LGBT community organizations in San Francisco. We also educate the public about the hazards of smoking and about smoking cessation.
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