Overview
Executive Summary (continued)
| 2006 Tobacco Control Ballot Initiatives
Arizona—Three initiatives: Real and fake smokefree initiatives and initiative to increase the cigarette tax by $0.80 per pack.
California—Initiative to increase cigarette tax by $2.60 to $3.47 per pack.
Florida—Constitutional amendment to restore funding to tobacco control programs.
Missouri—Constitutional amendment to increase cigarette tax by $0.80 to $0.97 and devote an estimated $61 million to tobacco control programs.
Nevada—Two initiatives: one to significantly strengthen the state smokefree law and the other to maintain the status quo.
Ohio—Two initiatives: Real smokefree initiative and fake smokefree constitutional amendment.
South Dakota—Initiative to increase cigarette tax by $1.00 and devote $5 million to tobacco control programs.
|
|
| Cigarette Tax Increases in 2006 |
| South Dakota |
+$1.00 |
| Texas |
+$1.00 |
| Arizona |
+$0.82 |
| Vermont |
+$0.60 |
| Alaska |
+$0.20 |
| Hawaii |
+$0.20 |
| New Jersey |
+$0.175 |
| North Carolina |
+$0.05 | |
- More States Turning to Ballot Initiatives to Pass Key Tobacco Control Policies
In November 2006, voters in seven states had the opportunity to vote on ballot initiatives prohibiting smoking in most public places and workplaces, to increase cigarette taxes, and/or to increase tobacco prevention funding.
Unfortunately, tobacco companies committed substantial sums of money and engaged in dirty and deceptive tactics to defeat these ballot initiatives. R.J. Reynolds announced in July 2006 that it would spend $40 million to defeat all the initiatives, and the tobacco industry spent over $70 million to defeat California's tobacco tax ballot initiative. In Arizona and Ohio, the tobacco industry funded opposition ballot initiatives that would continue to allow smoking in many workplaces, repeal stronger local laws on smoking and prevent local communities from passing stronger laws in the future. These opposition initiatives were given deceptive names like the "Non-Smoker Protection Act" and "Smoke Less Ohio" to confuse voters.
Luckily, these deceptive tobacco industry tactics were mostly unsuccessful, and five out of the seven ballot initiatives were approved by voters. A bad smokefree constitutional amendment in Ohio and bad smokefree initiatives in Arizona and Nevada were all rejected as well. These are significant victories for advocates in Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Ohio and South Dakota, and the American Lung Association salutes their tireless efforts! The Lung Association also recognizes advocates in California and Missouri, and although they came up just short in their ballot initiative efforts, it was not due to a lack of effort.
- Cigarette Tax Average Crosses $1.00 per Pack Threshold
Six states passed cigarette tax increases in 2006, two fewer than in 2005. Cigarette taxes also increased in Alaska and North Carolina due to scheduled increases approved in previous years. Chicago now has the highest state and local cigarette tax in the country at $3.66 per pack, while New Jersey has the highest state cigarette tax at $2.575 per pack. Despite multiple attempts to increase the cigarette tax in South Carolina, that state continues to have the lowest cigarette tax in the country at $0.07 per pack.
Nationwide, the average state cigarette tax (as of January 1, 2007) was $1.00 per pack, up over $0.07 since January 1, 2006.
Overview continued...
|
