10 Things to do NOW to Help Pass A Long-Overdue Increase in California’s Tobacco Tax

According to the Centers for Disease Control, smoking is a major cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and causes one of every three deaths from CVD. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke causes heart disease in nonsmokers. The American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association have come together to support Proposition 56 on the November ballot. Prop. 56 proposes to add a $2 state tax to buying a pack of cigarettes. Currently, California has one of the nation’s lowest tax rates on cigarettes.

Funds generated by this tobacco tax would be dedicated to the state to improve existing health care programs, prevent smoking, and fund research into cancer and other tobacco-related diseases. For more information on how to support “YES on 56” see below for 10 Things to Do NOW to Help Pass a Long-Overdue Increase in California’s Tobacco Tax:

1. Make sure you are signed up with your home address at AHA’s www.YoureTheCure.org and at the coalition website as well so that you will receive the latest updates.

2. Phone banking – talking to voters – is going to be crucial to passage. Participate by going to a local phone bank event and recruiting others to join you.

3. Share messaging about Yes on 56 on your social media accounts including Facebook, Youtube, Twitter or Snapchat. You can find more information about Yes on 56 here:

a. Website: www.yeson56.org

b.Twitter: @YesOn56

c.Facebook: www.facebook.com/Yeson56/

d. Instagram: @yeson56

4. Read articles and editorials on news sites and post comments in support of Prop. 56.

5.Write a letter to the editor of a local publication sharing your reasons for support and asking your fellow residents to support it as well.

6.Send us a photo and a brief reason you support the tobacco tax that we can share on our AHA social media sites.

7.Think about groups where you could share the importance of voting to pass Prop 56 – book club, church group, hiking group, etc. -- and ask for an opportunity to speak.

8.Take posters to locations such as your doctor’s office, hairdresser, etc. (See the contact information below to order posters.)

9.Change your Social Media profile picture to the Yes on 56 photo, and in your post ask your friends to join you.

10.Smoking is responsible for more than 1 in 7 deaths in California and costs $18.1 billion, about $487 per resident. Find statistics for your local county here (County-specific information starts on page 48): https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/10/119401/18-billion-tobacco-toll-california

For more information about the American Heart Association’s support of Yes on 56, or information about a phone banking event near you, or to order Yes on 56 posters, contact Josh Brown at (916) 431-2364 or Josh.Brown@heart.org