PRESS ADVISORY

Alliance For A Healthy Maine Joins Nation's First Multi-State Effort to Raise Tobacco Taxes By 50 Cents

Group Wants Tax Hike To Reduce Youth and Adult Smoking And To Fund Health Care Coverage

Released: November 16, 2000

The Alliance for a Healthy Maine announced the "Maine Health Access Campaign" that seeks a 50-cent hike in Maine's tobacco excise tax during the 2001 legislative session in order to decrease tobacco use and increase access to health care coverage. Maine's campaign, part of an historic six-state initiative across New England, is supported by a comprehensive new study showing that an overwhelming majority - 78% - of Maine voters support such a tax increase.

"Increasing tobacco prices is the single most effective way to reduce tobacco use, especially among our youth," said Dr. Gerritsen, representing the Maine Medical Association. "This year alone the cigarette companies will sell about 105 million packs of cigarettes in Maine. By implementing a 50-cent per pack hike in tobacco excise taxes, Maine can reduce adult smoking by 2.5 percent, teen smoking by 6.4 percent and smoking by pregnant women by 6.4 percent."

"Maine citizens are willing to support an increase in tobacco taxes in order to provide uninsured and underinsured citizens with health care coverage and to reduce tobacco use," said Kathryn Pears, of Kennebunk, representing Consumers for Affordable Health Care. "During the past three years, Maine has averaged the highest rate of uninsured citizens of all New England states at 13.2 percent. That's unacceptable. By raising the tobacco tax we can provide health care coverage to some of those 161,000 uninsured citizens who can least afford it."

"In the past, teens have received lecture after lecture about smoking from teachers, parents, public programs and even friends. This has not had enough of an impact. Raising the price is a very effective way to reduce smoking, especially among younger smokers. I think that's a good idea," said Kelly Campforce, a student at Erskine Academy.

Another teenager, Arthur Allan Page said "Today, 39% of Maine's teenagers smoke. Along with New Hampshire, that's the highest rate in the nation. About 31,000 kids under the age of 18 will eventually die from smoking related illnesses in Maine if current trends continue. That's more than the entire population of Augusta. This must end."

"Raising the tax creates a WIN-WIN for Maine citizens. It will reduce the number of smokers, reduce the number of packs of cigarettes sold by an estimated 2 million in Maine, save an estimated 1,848 lives a year and will begin to address the number one concern of Maine citizens - health care coverage - by reducing the number of Maine's uninsured," said Megan Hannan, representing the American Cancer Society.

"If this 50-cent tax hike were enacted in Maine as of July 1, 2001, it would generate an estimated average of $47,520,000 per year over the five year period from 2002 - 2006," said Kathryn Pears representing Consumers for Affordable Health Care citing a November 2000 study by the Schneider Institute for Health Policy.

Today's announcement by the Alliance for a Healthy Maine coincided with the observance of the American Cancer Society's 24th Annual Great American Smokeout. Twenty-seven organizations and associations including the Maine Women's Lobby, the National Association of Social Workers - Maine Chapter, the Maine Council of Churches, the American Lung Association of Maine, the Maine Hospital Association, and the Maine Public Health Association, have joined the Alliance for a Healthy Maine during the past two weeks. "This is one of the easiest member recruitment efforts I've ever experienced. You no sooner tell people what the campaign's goals are and they want to be a member. It's Mom and apple pie," said Joe Ditre, the director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care that is coordinating the campaign.

Also, during today's news conference, the Alliance for a Healthy Maine released results of a University of New Hampshire Survey Center study showing that Maine residents support a tobacco tax increase, and favor using the revenues to provide uninsured and underinsured citizens with health care coverage and to reduce youth and adult tobacco use. The UNH Survey Center poll of 423 registered voters across Maine was taken in August 2000 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.8%. Specifically the survey found:

87 percent of Maine voters say they favor using cigarette tax revenues for anti-tobacco programs for youth.

78 percent of Maine voters say they favor using the cigarette tax revenues to provide health care coverage to the uninsured.

80 percent of Maine voters say they would also favor using cigarette tax revenues to help seniors pay for the high cost of prescription drugs.

The Alliance for a Healthy Maine wants to use the funds to provide health care coverage to some of the uninsured since Maine has already achieved the CDC-recommended levels of tobacco cessation and prevention funding at $18.3 million and has passed laws to cover more seniors with prescription drugs. The Alliance members noted that it is important the State maintain the current level of funding for tobacco cessation and prevention programs and aggressively pursue methods to keep prescriptions affordable for senior citizens.

Sponsored by: Alliance for a Healthy Maine