Health Advocates Rally for Cigarette Tax Increase

Members of the Mississippi House and Senate will meet today to continue working to come to a compromise on increasing the state’s cigarette tax. Yesterday healthcare advocacy groups rallied at the capital, urging lawmakers to increase the tax to 1 dollar per pack. MPB’s Stephen Koranda reports.

Jackson Neonatologist Cris Glick was at the capital pushing for the increase. She’s hoping lawmakers will increase the state’s current 18 cent per pack cigarette tax so she’ll see fewer women who smoke during pregnancy and the problems this causes for infants.

“They have almost a two-week withdrawal period. They really are very irritable, they don’t feed well. They usually are under grown at birth because of the nicotine exposure, and then it also affects their brain development, and that’s why they have long-term disabilities.”

Members of the campaign for tobacco free kids are pushing for lawmakers to accept a plan that passed the Mississippi House to increase cigarette taxes by 82 cents per pack, saying this could save the state 600 million dollars in healthcare costs. The savings and more revenue for the state, means free smoking prevention and cessation programs could be expanded, says Dr. Tom Payne, who works with smoking cessation at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

“What we would like to see is a way to expand our reach even further. Right now with the funding we can reach several thousand people a year. We’d like to reach tens of thousands of people a year in Mississippi.”

While the House has passed the 82 cent increase, the bill that passed the Senate included a 31 cent increase. If a compromise is reached both chambers would have to vote again on the issue.