Raise cigarette tax for Hoosier health

<p>South Bend Tribune</p><p>As the alliance of Indiana health and business groups pushes yet again for the legislature to raise the cigarette tax, let’s hope that the third time’s the charm.</p><p>The upcoming legislative session will mark the advocates’ third effort to sell lawmakers on the idea. Raise it for Health, a statewide coalition of 139 health, business, youth and community groups, is asking the General Assembly to hike Indiana’s cigarette tax by $2 per pack. The coalition contends that tripling the state’s cigarette tax, which currently is 99.5 cents per pack — the nation’s 14th lowest — will significantly reduce smoking rates.</p><p>The group says the change also would generate up to $350 million a year in new revenue that could be used to tackle other Hoosier health issues, such as drug addiction and infant mortality.</p><p>There’s no denying Indiana’s poor health rankings — 39 among states in overall health — or that smoking is a big factor in its woeful showing. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1 in 5 Hoosier adults smoke cigarettes, as do 11.2 percent of Indiana high school students, both above the national average.</p><p>A 2016 report found that each year smoking causes more than 11,000 Hoosiers to die prematurely and secondhand smoke causes the premature deaths of an additional 1,400 Indiana residents.</p><p>The coalition also points to how Indiana’s failing health affects the state’s bottom line — $7.6 million in health care costs, productivity losses and costs related to premature deaths.</p><p>Previous attempts to increase the cigarette tax have failed in the Republican-controlled legislature. This despite substantial public support: Seventy-two percent of Hoosiers back an increase, according to a recent survey conducted by Ball State University and Old National Bank.</p><p>Count us among those who believe that lawmakers should raise the cigarette tax. And they should direct the money generated toward smoking cessation and other related programs. A state that puts far too little in public health needs to invest in a healthier future.</p>