Forum News Service: Proposed ND ballot measure would boost tax on cigarettes by $1.76 a pack

By Mike Nowatzki / Forum News Service A group frustrated with the North Dakota Legislature’s repeated refusal to raise tobacco taxes will attempt to put the issue to voters in November, announcing a ballot initiative Wednesday that would hike the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1.76. Backers will need to gather 13,452 signatures […]

Bismarck Tribune: Group proposes to raise tax on tobacco

NICK SMITH, Bismarck Tribune A coalition seeking to reduce tobacco use in North Dakota will unveil a proposed ballot measure Wednesday, which would raise the state’s tobacco tax — one of the lowest in the nation. The group, Raise it for Health North Dakota, will make its announcement in Memorial Hall inside the state Capitol on […]

InForum: Mentally ill more likely to smoke, die from tobacco-related illness

The mentally ill and those battling substance abuse are much more likely than others to smoke, and suffer higher illness and death rates as a result. The American Lung Association in North Dakota is launching an effort to target smoking cessation programs at those who are mentally ill or dealing with addictions. Tobacco control advocates […]

LA Times – Capitol Times: Lawmakers show surprising courage against Big Tobacco

The Legislature showed some guts last week in standing up to the tobacco lobby and its political money. It could have shown more, however, by mustering the courage to raise taxes on cigarettes, cigars and chewing crud. California’s tobacco tax is among the lowest in the nation and hasn’t been hiked since 1998 — and […]

ADA News: ADA, others "concerned" about tobacco products

By Jennifer Garvin, American Dental Association News Silver Spring, Md. — The ADA and 35 other health organizations have asked the Food and Drug Administration to be more diligent about requiring tobacco companies to obtain approval before introducing new tobacco products to market. In a Feb. 26 letter to Mitchell Zeller, director, Center for Tobacco […]