Anti-Tobacco Group Says Tax On Alternative Products Can Discourage Kids From Smoking

Anti-tobacco groups are calling on lawmakers to raise the tax on products that have been left out of recent increases, such as e-cigarettes and chew. They’re reigniting this call as part of World No Tobacco Day. The American Cancer Society says these alternative tobacco products should be taxed just as high as cigarettes.Jeff Stephens with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network says bringing parity between cigarettes and chewing tobacco, e-cigarettes and cigars will help keep young people from ultimately smoking.“These other tobacco products are very attractive to kids to youth and that’s how many youth initiate their tobacco use and their lifelong addiction to tobacco and they move over into combustibles so we need to raise the tax of those products to be on an equal level,” said Stephens.A pack of cigarettes comes with an extra tax of $1.60.Recent measures to attach extra tax to alternative tobacco products have failed in the House and Senate.The American Cancer Society says it plans to work with the next governor to get this type of provision added to the next proposed budget. Gov. John Kasich included similar tobacco control measures in his previous budget plans. Copyright 2018 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.