Tobacco Taxes

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Tobacco Control

Increasing tobacco taxes are proven to be an effective way to prevent children from smoking and help adults quit.  

We are working in states across the country and in Congress to save more lives by passing regular and significant tax increases on all tobacco products. And this doesn't just include cigarettes, but also other dangerous products like smokeless tobacco and cigars. 

State cigarette taxes range from a low of 17 cents per pack in Missouri to a high of $4.50 in Washington, D.C., with an average state tax of $1.91 per pack.

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MEDIA ADVISORY – PRESS CONFERENCE: Buffalo Community Leaders Rally around Governor Hochul’s Tobacco Proposals, Moved by Data Showing Link between Tobacco Use & Cancer Deaths

March 11, 2023
New York

BUFFALO, NY –MARCH 11, 2023 – As budget discussions among state legislators pick up speed at the Capitol, Erie County religious, health and community leaders are set to rally alongside cancer patients and survivors on Monday, March 13. Following the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s (ACS CAN) release of

Data Released Showing Link between Tobacco Use & Cancer Deaths in Erie County, NY

March 10, 2023
New York

BUFFALO, NY—MARCH 8, 2023— Utilizing data from the New York State Cancer Registry, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) released data showing the devastating impact that cancers linked to tobacco have on New Yorkers, specifically those living in Erie County: Between 2015-2019, 46,417 people on average

Budget Measures that Would Signal Cancer Prevention and Detection Is a Priority in New Jersey

February 27, 2023
New Jersey

TRENTON, NJ – FEBRUARY 27, 2023 – Governor Murphy is expected to release his 2023-24 Executive Budget tomorrow, setting the legislative and fiscal agenda for the year. In anticipation, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) New Jersey Government Relations Director Jade Bechelli, released the following statement: “In 2023,

**PRESS CONFERENCE** Cancer Survivors to Urge Legislators to Make Fighting Cancer a Priority in Visit to Capitol

February 24, 2023
New York

ALBANY, NY –FEBRUARY 24, 2023 – Cancer survivors, their families and caregivers from across New York will gather at the Capitol building to ask legislators to support policies that improve New Yorkers’ access to cancer screenings and early detection services and institute lifesaving tobacco control legislation. The American Cancer Society

Tobacco Taxes Resources

Effective Policies Known to Prevent Tobacco Use and Address Tobacco-Related Disparities

March 6, 2023

Tobacco use has been found to be one of the primary drivers of cancer-related health disparities because its use disproportionately impacts people based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, mental health, income level, education level, and geographic location. Achieving health equity relies heavily on eliminating tobacco use. ACS CAN is pursuing fact-based tobacco control policies at the local, state and federal levels that aim to reduce disparities and improve health outcomes for everyone.

Tobacco Excise Tax Increases: Save Lives. Reduce Health Care Costs. Generate Revenue.

January 31, 2023

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) supports a comprehensive approach to tobacco control that includes significantly increasing excise taxes on all tobacco products to generate revenue, protect kids, and save lives. Significant tobacco tax increases are one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and help adults quit.

State Tobacco Tax Increases: Explanations and Sources for Projections of New Revenues & Benefits

January 5, 2023

The economic model developed jointly by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (TFK), the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), and Tobacconomics  (a program of the University of Illinois at Chicago) projects the increase in state revenues, public health benefits, and health care cost savings resulting from increases in state cigarette tax rates.  The projections are updated annually.  Calculations are based on economic modeling by Frank Chaloupka, Ph.D., and John Tauras, Ph.D., at the Institute for Health Research and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Jidong Huang, Ph.D., and Michael Pesko, Ph.D., at Georgia State University.