Gov. Janet Mills' $11.6 billion two-year spending plan includes a proposed tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The state tax would rise from $2 to $3 a pack, the first increase in 20 years.
Maine currently has one of the lowest cigarette taxes in New England and is only a few cents above the national average of $1.93 per pack, according to the American Lung Association.
The proposed tax hike would help Mills bridge an almost half-a-billion-dollar projected budget shortfall over two years.
Matt Wellington, associate director of the Maine Public Health Association, supports the increase, which he says is one of the best ways to prevent young people from using tobacco.
"It's absolutely crucial that there's corresponding tax increases for other tobacco products in addition to the cigarette tax, and that's because young people migrate to whatever's cheaper and more accessible on the market," says Wellington.
Wellington says the proposal also stipulates that some funding from the tax increase must go to tobacco cessation treatment.
"It's important to have as many tools in the tool belt as we can to get to people trying to quit tobacco use. So, you know, again, the funding is really critical to make sure those programs are robust enough to have an effect," says Wellington.
Wellington says Maine's tobacco use and cancer incidence rates are higher than national averages and believes the increased tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products will help lower these numbers.
Maine has the highest adult smoking rate in New England at 15%.
