LOS ANGELES — Equality California has endorsed the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016, an initiative to raise California’s cigarette tax by $2 on tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, which are taking a disproportionately large toll on lesbian, gay and bisexual communities.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual Californians smoke at two to three times the rate of heterosexual Californians according to the California Department of Public Health, creating a serious public health concern for the LGBT community.
“The use of tobacco products is a serious public health problem for members of the LGBT community,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California. “With tobacco companies focused on luring LGBT teens into addiction, this initiative is our opportunity to help save lives, reduce smoking and improve health care for members of the LGBT community and for all of California.”
Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBT civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society. The organization’s mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance, and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California.
The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 will put a user fee on smoking to save lives, protect teens and improve healthcare.
Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in California. This $2 per pack user fee on cigarettes and other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes containing nicotine, saves lives by preventing kids from getting hooked on tobacco, improving health care, and fighting cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.
Nationally, the American Cancer Society estimates that more than 30,000 LGBT Americans die from tobacco-related diseases annually. The smoking rate among the LGBT community in California is 27.4 percent, compared to a non-LGBT smoking rate of 12.9 percent, and tobacco companies target LGBT communities through advertising and event sponsorship.
The California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 is backed by Save Lives California, a coalition of health advocates and others that includes the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the California Medical Association, California Dental Association, SEIU California, Blue Shield of California, the California Hospital Association and philanthropist Tom Steyer. The money raised by the tax will fund healthcare costs and research into cures for cancer and other tobacco related diseases.
Anyone who sympathizes with tobacco using citizens, ostracized and “sin taxed” at rates ever more cruel and unusual, please “Share” or link to this song if you like it. “If You’re Not Buying Cigarettes then What Kind of Citizen ARE You?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpXjVq5Q6S0
This is a totally stupid tax, Since when do we need someone henpecking smokers more than they already are.
We really need a $6.00 tax on every alcoholic drink, every soda, and anything that is not organic and non GMO.
The whole concept of a sin tax is so “1950s White, Heterosexual”, can we please get over it and stop all the immorality taxation?
Get a life for Fuck’s sake.
Liz
Seems like a pretty regressive tax to me. Working on quitting but at least for now my wife and I went from about $6/pack to less than $1/pack and save over $1,500/yr by rolling our own with a machine and tobacco we found at this place called AAA Tobacco. Never understood why taxing lower socio economic people with sin taxes is voted yes by so many.