SACRAMENTO >> Senator Mike McGuire on Thursday led a successful effort to pass legislation to continue to fight the impacts of tobacco use on public health. The legislation, ABX2 10 is part of a package of bills approved today in the Senate to fight tobacco use.
Last week the state Assembly voted to raise the smoking age to 21 and also approved bills that would allow counties to enact local cigarette taxes, close loopholes in existing smoke-free workplace laws and require that all K-12 schools be tobacco-free.
The legislative package first cleared the state Senate last summer. But in the hectic final few days of last year’s session — amid intense pressure from tobacco companies — the bills stalled in the lower house and languished there until this week.
“Big Tobacco’s assault on youth and taxpayers was dealt a major setback today when the Legislature came to the rescue of Californians,” said Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, who authored the e-cigarette bill. “Tobacco-free habits save lives and billions of taxpayer health care dollars.”
On Thursday the Senate voted to approve amendments made to the bills. The legislation will head to Gov. Jerry Brown, who is expected to sign the bills into law.
One of the aspects pushed by McGuire allows counties to enact local taxes, using the funds generated to strengthen health programs.
“California has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation, currently ranking 35th with a tax of 87 cents — even Texas has higher tobacco taxes than California,” McGuire said. “Nearly 40,000 Californians die every year from smoking and tobacco related diseases. Tobacco use continues to be a public health crisis and we know that the most effective way to reduce smoking, especially among young people, is the price point for a pack of cigarettes.”
ABX2 10 would empower local voters to place locally generated tobacco taxes onto the county ballot, giving voters a choice to invest in health, wellness and anti-smoking programs at the neighborhood level.
In California, 40,000 people lose their lives to tobacco-related illness each year and tens of thousands of Californians struggle every day because of tobacco-related illness. While disease caused by tobacco has tremendous impacts on the lives of families and communities across the state, it also has significant financial implications for state and local budgets.
Smoking related diseases cost California roughly $13.29 billion in medical expenses each year. According to McGuire, the 600 local jurisdictions nationwide that have their own cigarette tax rates or fees bring in more than $430 million in annual revenue. This, he points out, allows them to work effectively to reduce smoking rates, especially among youth, and they decrease smoking-caused death, disease, and costs.
“Giving local voters a choice to pass a tobacco tax is a critical tool in allowing communities to set public health priorities that can better meet the needs of their residents. They know what works best because they are on the ground doing the hard work day in and day out. That said, this bill doesn’t increase taxes, it simply allows counties to put a tobacco tax on the ballot in their area. It’s all about choice,” McGuire said.
It has been 16 years since California last raised its tobacco tax, and in that time, health care costs have increased significantly. This bill allows counties in California to place tobacco taxes independent of the state. It would give counties more local control in reducing the public health effects of tobacco use.
“If our goal is to reduce smoking and disease, we know that tobacco taxes work,” McGuire said. “For every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes, there is a 4 percent reduction in overall cigarette consumption and a 6.5 percent reduction in youth consumption. This is one of the reasons why this bill is critical — young people.”
Senator Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg) has a long history of strengthening local regulations in the fight against tobacco-related illnesses. As a Healdsburg City Councilmember, McGuire was instrumental in ushering local ordinances banning smoking in public parks — a fight he brought to a larger stage when he was a Sonoma County Supervisor. As a Supervisor, McGuire co-chaired the effort that brought sweeping changes and strengthened the County’s tobacco-related laws.
