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Tobacco tax increase bills introduced

The North Dakota Legislature is being asked to consider raising the state’s tobacco tax.

Two bills have been introduced. The House bill would raise the tax from the current 44 cents per pack of cigarettes – to $1.54 per pack. The Senate bill would raise it another $1.56 – making the tax two dollars per pack.

"This is not a matter of taxation," said Sen. Tim Mathern (D-Fargo), the sponsor of the Senate bill. "This is a matter of impacting the rate of tobacco use."

He says the intent is to stop young people from starting to smoke, as well as get some people who do smoke to quit.

Kristie Wolff of the American Lung Association says North Dakota currently has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation.

"Higher prices for tobacco have proven to be an effective tool to reduce youth smoking," said Wolff.

Meanwhile, the latest Minnesota adult tobacco survey shows the state’s adult smoking rate is dropping.
The survey shows 14.4 percent of Minnesota adults smoke – the lowest rate ever recorded. And respondents said the increased tobacco tax helped them quit. The study was done by the Minnesota Department of Health and ClearWay Minnesota.

ClearWays’s Dr. Raymond Boyle says the survey shows there’s more work to be done.

"Approximately 580,000 Minnesota adults continue to smoke," said Boyle. "The tobacco industry is constantly creating new ways to keep people using their product."

Boyle says the most vulnerable population in Minnesota remains at risk.

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