Vermont Leaders Urged to Increase Cigarette Tax by $1 to Prevent Youth Smoking

Strategic Insights -

Hundreds of Vermont students joined thousands of young people nationwide for the 16th annual Kick Butts Day, a celebration of youth leadership and activism in the fight against tobacco use. Kids in Vermont are raising their voices against tobacco companies that target them with marketing, and they are urging state leaders to increase the cigarette tax by $1 per pack to prevent youth smoking and raise revenue for critical programs. A report by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids highlights the benefits of a $1 cigarette tax increase in Vermont, including raising $10.2 million in new annual revenue, preventing 3,600 kids from becoming smokers, and saving 1,600 residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths.

Key Takeaways:

  • A $1 cigarette tax increase in Vermont would raise $10.2 million in new annual revenue, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
  • The tax increase would prevent 3,600 kids from becoming smokers and spur 2,000 current adult smokers to quit.
  • The measure would also save 1,600 residents from premature, smoking-caused deaths and save $82 million in health care costs.
  • Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 400,000 people and costing $96 billion in health care bills each year.
  • In Vermont, tobacco use claims 800 lives and costs $233 million in health care bills each year, with 17.6 percent of high school students smoking and 2,800 kids trying cigarettes for the first time each year.
  • The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is urging state leaders to support proven tobacco prevention measures, including higher tobacco taxes, well-funded tobacco prevention programs, and smoke-free air laws.

Statistics:

  • 19.5 percent of high school students nationwide still smoke, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
  • 800 lives are claimed by tobacco use in Vermont each year, with $233 million in health care bills.
  • $96 billion is spent on health care bills due to tobacco use in the United States each year.
  • 1,600 residents would be saved from premature, smoking-caused deaths with a $1 cigarette tax increase in Vermont.

Sources:

  • Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, "Kick Butts Day" press release, March 21, 2011.
  • Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, "Vermont Sees Significant Progress in Reducing Youth Smoking" report.
  • U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Adult Smoking Attributable to Secondhand Smoke Exposure."
  • National Health Interview Survey, 2009-2010 data.
  • National Cancer Institute, "Tobacco and Cancer."