With an eye on reducing smoking rates, Save Lives California has been working to raise the tobacco tax in the Golden State. Recent research from the Field Poll suggests that public support is growing for taxing and regulating e-cigarettes as well.
According to the coalition, 74% of California voters favor taxing e-cigarettes and vaping products to fund public education, research, and law enforcement around tobacco products. Also, 71% believe that e-cigarettes contribute to teens becoming addicted to tobacco.
“Teen vaping is growing to epidemic proportions and this study shows Californians want to prevent the health threat of these tobacco products,” said Kula Koenig, the California government relations director for the American Heart Association.
“It’s up to all of us to keep these dangerous tobacco products that contain addictive nicotine and cancer-causing particles away from kids. The Save Lives initiative prevents underage smokers from becoming addicted to unsafe products while ensuring if you don’t smoke, you don’t pay,” Koenig said.
The Field Poll additionally reported that significant majorities of Californians support the regulation of “vape shops” like other tobacco retailers and prohibiting e-cigarette usage in places where smoking is not allowed. Also, 57% of voters want to ban flavored e-cigarettes to reduce their appeal to teens.
The CDC reports that 10% of 18- to 24-year-olds who have never smoked cigarettes have tried e-cigarettes. Also, the Center for Tobacco Products says that 4 out of 5 teens who use e-cigarettes choose flavored products. And, JAMA Pediatrics notes that youth who used e-cigarettes are 8 times more likely to try cigarettes.
“E-cigarettes threaten to reverse decades of progress and prematurely end the lives of millions of today’s youth,” said Kimberly Amazeen, vice president of public policy and advocacy of the American Lung Association in California. “That’s why it’s up to all of us to prevent teens from picking up a deadly smoking habit.”
Save Lives California is a group of doctors, dentists, health plans, labor groups, and nonprofit health advocate organizations. Its proposed California Healthcare, Research, and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 would increase the state’s cigarette tax by $2 per pack and place equivalent taxes on other tobacco products such as e-cigarettes. The $1.5 billion in expected revenues would fund healthcare, research into cures for smoking-related diseases, and tobacco prevention efforts.
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