New York has the highest tobacco taxes in the country, inhaling more than $1 billion a year. That’s why cigarettes cost $11 a pack.
The lion’s share of that money goes into the state’s general fund. According to a coalition of anti-smoking advocates, including the Cancer Society and American Heart Association, only four percent of smoking tax proceeds are spent on the state’s Tobacco Control Program. The fund aims to educate New Yorkers about the health risks associated with smoking or chewing.
Now, anti-smoking advocates are urging the Cuomo administration to reconsider a proposed $5 million cut to the program.
That follows the Thursday release of a 900-page report from U.S. Surgeon General that shows that youth smoking rates aren’t declining as much as they have in the past.
