Overturn Gov. Hogan’s veto of new tobacco tax

While the coronavirus has many of us thinking about how we can live longer, healthier lives, it has also shed light on an ongoing societal problem: health inequities, including poorer health outcomes for many communities. Where you live and what you look like shouldn’t determine your health outcomes, but for far too many, it does.

One example is cancer: it is a disease that can affect anyone, but it doesn’t affect them equally. Whenwe look at the factors that can contribute to cancer diagnoses and deaths, we know tobacco use is a leading cause — making it critical that we eliminate inequities that exist and tackle tobacco use head on — if we want to see continued declines in cancer diagnoses and deaths in our state.

While all individuals should have equal opportunity to live a healthy life, Big Tobacco continually impedes this. For example, in Baltimore, there are five times more tobacco retailers per square mile in the lowest-income neighborhoods than in the highest-income neighborhoods, as defined by data from the U.S. Census. Black communities, American Indians, LGBT individuals, and youth are among the targets of aggressive tobacco industry marketing.

With smoking contributing to over a quarter of cancers deaths here in Maryland, the deadly results of the tobacco industry’s targeting of marginalized communities cannot be ignored, especially now: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named smoking a risk factor for developing severe illness from COVID-19. And as we know, COVID-19 itself has taken a heavier toll on communities of color.

But how do we tackle tobacco use in Maryland and kick Big Tobacco to the curb in all our communities? We do this through proven evidence-based public policies that help people quit or never use this deadly product in the first place including significantly increasing tobacco taxes and funding evidence-based tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Earlier this year, Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed legislation that would have raised Maryland’s cigarette tax by $1.75 per pack, a measure which the legislature passed in March. This bill — which also would have increased the tax on some types of other tobacco products and would have taxed e-cigarettes for the first time while investing in evidence-based tobacco prevention and cessation programs — would have had notable positive impact on the health of Marylanders.

Significant and regular increases on the price of tobacco have long been recognized as an effective part of a comprehensive approach to reducing tobacco use and saving lives. A $1.75 per pack cigarette tax increase is projected to prevent 15,300 youth from becoming adults who smoke and help 32,600 adults quit smoking.

The last time the state increased the tobacco tax was over a decade ago. As a result, retail cigarette sales declined 30% in Maryland with youth smoking falling by an even greater percentage.

An override of the governor’s veto would also help the state’s economy — funding necessary costs to the state associated with the coronavirus and providing muchneeded funds for the state’s tobacco prevention and cessation program. Projections show that a $1.75 per pack cigarette tax increase would generate over $95 million in new annual revenue.

Lawmakers can save thousands of lives in towns and cities across Maryland by committing nowto override the Governor’s veto and vote to increase Maryland’s tobacco taxes. It’s time to show Big Tobacco that they have no place in Maryland and do not have control of our communities!

Jocelyn Collins is the director of government relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) in Maryland and Washington, D.C.