A new poll released this week by the Raise It for Health Coalition shows that 66 percent of Minnesotans support raising the tobacco tax by $1.50 per pack to address Minnesota’s budget deficit, help addicted smokers quit and keep kids from starting to smoke.
“This new poll illustrates that support for raising the price of tobacco is strong throughout the state,” said Molly Moilanen, Director of Public Affairs at ClearWay Minnesota and Co-Chair of the Raise It for Health Coalition. “A strong majority of Minnesotans – 66 percent – support increasing the tobacco tax by $1.50 per pack. By raising the price this year, we can help prevent tens of thousands of kids from a lifetime of addiction and help thousands of adults stop smoking.”
According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, a $1.50 per pack increase in the state’s cigarette tax would prevent 47,700 Minnesota kids from becoming addicted adults, help 36,600 current smokers quit and save 27,700 Minnesotans from premature smoking-related deaths.
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“There is broad agreement among Minnesotans on this issue,” said Dr. Bill Morris, President of Decision Resources Ltd., the firm that administered the poll. “Unlike the results we see for many other tax questions, a solid majority from virtually every demographic group in the state – including gender, age, income level and geography – supports raising the tax by $1.50.”
The study contains results of a sample of 625 randomly selected adult residents of the state of Minnesota. Professional interviewers conducted the survey by telephone between April 4 and 13, 2013.
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For more information about the survey, including methodology, contact Anne Mason at amason@clearwaymn.org, or view the full results at www.RaiseitforHealth.org.
Raise It for Health is a coalition of Minnesota’s leading health and nonprofit organizations with a common goal of reducing tobacco use in the state. ClearWay Minnesota is a member of the Raise It for Health Coalition, and funds the Four Corners Partnership, which includes work done through the Rice County Public Health Department to reduce the harm tobacco causes. Learn more at: www.4cornerspartnership.org