As a longtime supporter of March of Dimes and this year’s Los Angeles Area Family Ambassador, I share their goal to give all babies a healthy start in life. One way they’re currently trying to do this in California is by supporting The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016, which would increase the cigarette tax by $2 per pack and place similar increases on e-cigarettes.
This act could have a hugely positive impact on California, including pregnant women and their babies. Studies have shown cigarette tax increases that raise prices by ten percent reduce smoking among pregnant women by seven percent. This is so important because women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have premature babies, and exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy and after birth increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In fact, a recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics estimated that even a $1 increase in the cigarette tax would reduce infant mortality by 3.2 percent.
There are lots of other reasons to like this act, too. Ninety percent of smokers start as teens, and this initiative would greatly help in reducing the number of teen smokers. Perhaps most crucially when it comes to today’s teens is the increased taxes on e-cigarettes, which are so popular among teens that they tripled in use between 2013 and 2014. A big reason for this frightening spike is the way e-cigarettes are made and marketed. Check out these totally not for kids e-cigarette vape flavors:
And ones that mimic popular candies like this “gummy candy” flavor:
The act would also raise a lot of money that would be put to good use. Every year, smoking costs California taxpayers billions of dollars, including $3.5 billion Medi-Cal spends annually to treat smoking-related diseases. That is a huge cost, but the money raised by this act would fund healthcare programs (like Medi-Cal), smoking prevention programs, and medical research on tobacco-related diseases including cancer, heart, and lung diseases. In the long-term these programs will reduce smoking rates — and health care costs in California — in a big way.
If you want to stand up to Big Tabacco, save lives, and help smokers quit, visit www.savelivesca.com. You can also order petitions to help gather signatures and get this act on the ballot here.
Katie says:
Love this! Good for you for bringing attention to this.
amourningmom says:
Thank you for all you do for all the babies/moms and March of Dimes. We will be walking here in Atlanta and trying to help as much as we can. Hopefully, one day no parent will have to live in a world without their child. Sending hope and hugs. xo
Erika Raelyn says:
While I understand your point and cause, those vape flavors aren’t marketed for kids. I worked at a vape shop until two weeks ago and have been vaping for five years and I haven’t smoked in that long now. Not all of us like tobacco flavors. I’m 30 and my favorite flavors are strawberry cheesecake and strawberry shortcake. We had quite a few older folks that loved our Fruit Loops flavor and candy flavors. Those flavors have been around since before vapes took off with teenagers.
They really do help people. It’s just crappy parenting that’s making it available for teenagers.