Smoking Might Cost You More Than You Think
This week, doctors, nurses, and health care providers are coming together to support initiative 185, which proposes to raise the tax of cigarettes by two dollars.
According to Montana Healthcare Leaders, by adding an additional two dollars in tax for a pack of cigarettes, this will:
- Help 9,300 adults quit smoking.
- Decrease youth smoking rates by 20.6 percent
- Prevent 8,000 Montana kids from becoming adult smokers
The initiative will also prevent 100,000 people in Montana, including veterans and their families, from losing Medicaid.
This week, doctors, nurses, and healthcare providers are taking action by hosting events and interactive seminars to educate people on the dangers of smoking and the importance of this proposal for our state.
On the other end of the spectrum, a tobacco-funded group known as ‘Montanans Against Tax Hikes’, are upset about the proposal; filing a lawsuit saying the wording is misleading and could confuse voters.