COLUMBIA, S.C. – February 10, 2026 – As lawmakers evaluate House Bill 4303 and Senate Bill 519, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) urges them to vote against the bills, which would cause the state to lose money and hurt South Carolinians. ACS CAN regional government relations director Beth Johnson testified in opposition to the bills before the state Senate Finance Income and Sales Tax subcommittee Tuesday afternoon and released the following statement:
“HB 4303 and SB 519 aim to tax heated tobacco products at a significantly lower rate than cigarettes, even though they meet the legal definition of a cigarette. Thus, if passed, these new laws would decrease taxes on heated tobacco products, making them cheaper and more accessible. Lowering the tax, and therefore, the price of tobacco products, is one major way for the tobacco industry to protect their bottom line and addict people with cheap products.
“Smoking causes approximately $2 billion in annual health care costs in our state. These bills would make these products cheaper and cut down on the state’s revenue. Evidence shows that cost is a significant factor on tobacco use rates.
“Additionally, heated tobacco products contain more than 20 toxic chemicals including nicotine and emit toxic chemicals. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S. and South Carolina. There are no safe tobacco products. Research suggests that heated tobacco products and their emissions contain many of the same dangerous ingredients as regular cigarettes, as well as other unhealthy ingredients not present in regular cigarettes. ACS CAN urges lawmakers to protect kids, not Big Tobacco’s profits, and oppose efforts to reduce taxes on any tobacco products, including on heated tobacco products.”