1. health and fitness

Kansas Public Health Association, Inc.
President
Mark Thompson, PhD
Kansas State Department of
Education
President-Elect
Erica Anderson
Lawrence-Douglas County
Health Department
Secretary
Nikki Keene Woods, PhD,
MPH
Wichita State University
Treasurer
Larry Franken, PhD, MS,
MSPH
Immediate Past President
Tanya Honderick, RN, M S,
MPH, PHCNS-BC
University of Kansas Medical
Center
ARGC
Shirley Orr, MHS, APRN,
NEA-BC
Public Health Consultant
Directors At Large
Michael Cates, DVM, MPH
Kansas State University
Christina Pacheco, JD
University of Kansas Medical
Center
Brandon Skidmore
Kansas Department of
Health & Environment
Section Chairs
Jack Brown
Michelle Peterson
Becky Tuttle
Mary T. Hynek
Chris Steward
Megan Foreman
Molly Allison
Sarah Key
Pam Smith
Miranda Steele
Promoting and Improving Population Health in Kansas
Affiliated with the American Public Health Association
5960 Dearborn, Suite 230
Mission, KS 66202
785-462-0192
www.kpha.us
April 27, 2015
KPHA Supports Tobacco Tax Proposal
The Kansas Public Health Association supports a $1.50 per pack tax increase on
cigarettes and increasing taxes on other tobacco products (OTP) to 58 percent of
wholesale value. Both proposals are currently before the Kansas Legislature and could
become part of the final budget elected leaders will approve in May.
The Kansas Public Health Association’s mission is to “promote and improve
population health in Kansas.” We support these tax increases because they are simple,
public health solutions to the economic and social burdens of tobacco use.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call price increases on tobacco
products “the single most effective way to prevent initiation among nonsmokers and to
reduce consumption.” Pregnant women and children are especially price-sensitive.
States that raise the price of tobacco products can expect a 7 percent decrease in
consumption with every 10 percent cost increase.
In our state, 4,400 adults die every year from tobacco-related illnesses. For every one of
these dead Kansans, 20 more are suffering from disease and disability from the effects
of cigarettes and OTP. Tobacco’s drain on lives and health will not slow if new users
replace the old ones. In Kansas today, 13 percent of high school students smoke and
11.1 percent of high school students use smokeless tobacco. At these rates, 61,000 of
these children who smoke will die from their addiction.
Preventing children from becoming users is critical to the long-term improvement of
population health. More than 3 million packs of cigarettes are purchased or smoked by
children each year. Even children who have yet to be born benefit from the decreased
consumption brought on by tax increases. Tobacco exposure in utero contributes to
premature births, low-birth weights and sudden infant death syndrome, all of which
drive up health care costs and can have negative, long-term consequences for babies
and families.
Estimates from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids show that Kansas can expect
long-term benefits from increasing taxes on cigarettes and OTP, including a 20.0
percent decrease in youth smoking rates; 26,800 children under age 18 who do not
become adult smokers; 24,800 current smokers who quit; and 4,800 pregnancies/births
that are not negatively affected by tobacco exposure.
The projected new annual revenue from these policy changes is $87.49 million from
cigarettes and $26 million from OTP. While a boon for the state general fund, KPHA
would be remiss to not suggest that a portion of that revenue be dedicated to evidencebased prevention and cessation public health programs. The CDC recommends Kansas
put $27.9 million toward these activities, but the state currently puts less than $1
million into comprehensive tobacco control programs.
-more-
Kansas Public Health Association, Inc.
Promoting and Improving Population Health in Kansas
Affiliated with the American Public Health Association
5960 Dearborn, Suite 230
Mission, KS 66202
785-462-0192
www.kpha.us
KPHA Supports Tobacco Tax Proposal
-page 2 of 2-
Finally, KPHA is supportive of these policy changes because they can contribute to the
continued advancement of the University of Kansas Cancer Center. In 2012, the
University of Kansas Cancer Center became one of only 67 National Cancer Institutedesignated cancer centers in the country. The center is hoping to become one of an even
more elite group of cancer centers by achieving ‘comprehensive’ status. A
comprehensive cancer center must be positioned to address the full spectrum of issues
that affect cancer control and treatment in its region. This responsibility is closely
aligned with the mission of the Kansas Public Health Association. Passage of these
proposals would provide a clear message to the National Cancer Institute that the entire
state is behind efforts to reduce the terrible burden of cancer in the region.
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