PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Stand Strong Against Tobacco in Utah
  1. Signatures
    279 out of 500
    Petitioning
    1. The UT State Senate (+ 1 other)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The UT State Senate
      • The UT State House
  2. Created By
    American Heart Association Western States
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death and disease in Utah, claiming 1,100 lives each year and costing the state $345 million annually in health care bills. Smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, the #1 and #3 killers in America.

Last year Utahns passed legislation to raise the tobacco tax to $1.70 per pack of cigarettes. Increasing taxes on tobacco has proven to lower smoking rates, especially among teenagers.

Now we must ensure revenues from the tobacco tax will be specifically designated to fund tobacco control, prevention and cessation programs, as well as improving access to health care.

This tax increase is working to:

*     Prevent 10,500 teens from becoming smokers;

*     Spur 5,500 current adult Utah smokers to quit;

*     Save more than 4,800 Utah residents from smoking-caused deaths;

*     Secure $236 million in future health care savings; and

*    Raise more than $40 million a year in new state revenue.

Send a message to your Utah representatives today. Ask your elected officials to stand strong and guarantee this new tax revenue funds tobacco prevention and cessation programs across the state. 

Recent Signatures

Guarantee Cigarette Tax Supports Tobacco Control Programs

Greetings,

While Utahns have made significant progress in reducing youth smoking, nearly 10% of Utah high school students currently smoke, and nearly 6,000 kids try cigarettes for the first time each year.

The recent rise in cigarette taxes is a good first step to reduce smoking and tobacco-related deaths in Utah, but we can’t stop there. We need your help to ensure that this tax revenue is solely focused on tobacco control, prevention, and cessation programs.

Without effective tobacco prevention and control programs, teen smoking rates in Utah might escalate--leaving more of our children susceptible to smoking-related illness and disease such as cardiovascular disease and stroke.

I support the legislature’s use of the tobacco tax revenue to sustain funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs to levels that meet or exceed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

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