On Great American Smokeout, advocates urge state legislature to raise tobacco taxes to protect public health

Cancer patients, survivors, and advocates are marking the American Cancer Society's 48th annual Great American Smokeout® by calling on elected officials across the state to do more to reduce tobacco use. This Thursday, the Great American Smokeout, is a day for people who use tobacco to create a plan to quit.

The following is a statement from Allie Kast, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in Indiana:

“The Great American Smokeout is not just an opportunity for people who use tobacco to set a plan to quit. It’s also a clear wake-up call for lawmakers to say it’s time for Indiana to stand up to Big Tobacco. For too long, Indiana has allowed the tobacco industry to addict people to deadly, cancer-causing products. It’s time to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ Our residents deserve better.

“To mark the Great American Smokeout, ACS CAN calls on lawmakers to prioritize passing legislation to raise the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack with a parallel tax on all other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Increasing Indiana’s cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack would help 38,600 adults who smoke quit, prevent 10,100 kids from becoming adults who smoke, and generate $337.51 in new annual revenue for the state.

“Furthermore, lawmakers should dedicate $15 million of the new tax revenue from the increase to programs that prevent tobacco use and help those already addicted quit. Hoosiers need a well-funded, fact-based tobacco control program to counteract Big Tobacco’s deceptive marketing strategy and prevent another generation of people from becoming addicted to these deadly and addictive products.

“In Indiana, tobacco use is still the leading preventable cause of disease and death, and smoking is now linked to at least 12 types of cancers, including lung, liver, and colorectal cancers. Each year, more than 11,100 Hoosiers die from a smoking-related disease.

“On this Great American Smokeout, we urge lawmakers to support people who want to quit using tobacco by moving quickly to increase tobacco taxes and tobacco control funding. Passing these policies will help Hoosiers by reducing tobacco use and addiction, leading to fewer deaths and suffering from tobacco-related diseases like cancer.”

Free resources on quitting tobacco can be found at QuitNowIndiana.com, by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW or through the American Cancer Society’s cessation program, Empowered to Quit.