MN House Democrat wants $1.60 cigarette tax hike
February 7, 2013 at 4:11 pm in Worthington Daily Globe
Tax might hurt store owners in near state lines
ST. PAUL (AP) An influential Minnesota House Democrat touted her bill Thursday that would more than double the state’s cigarette tax, saying she’s motivated by public health concerns and not additional tax money.
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Cost Component Costs
Nursing home (adult) $1,065,000,000
Physician and other professional services (adult) $772,000,000
Hospital care (adult) $460,000,000
Other personal health care (adult) $334,000,000
Prescription drugs (adult) $234,000,000
Neonatal expenditures (infant) $4,000,000
Total Costs $2,869,000,000
A report prepared by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
http://www.preventionminnesota.com/objects/pdfs/X18121_A_HCC_and_Smoking.pdf
So you think removing all this money and related jobs from Minnesota’s economy is a smart idea. The money is spent right here not dropped off on the moon. Then you want to evoke a prohibition on tobacco. How many billions would that cost to (TRY) to enforce?
Then take away all the tax money the state already collects. I can think of all kinds of revenue lost from making this an illegal drug. I’m all for preventing smoking but lets not go immediately broke doing it. That’s a dumb idea!
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Notice in those numbers that Prevention progams weren’t listed….most states will spend less than 2% of the tax money from tobacco into prevention programs. CDC states they would only need to use 15% of tobacco tax money to provide full funding for the recommended programs.
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I am for not making any more unnecessary laws. As for your idea of a Sch. 1 drug, I believe the cure would be worse than the disease and even more costly! Using your logic of cost to lives then I guess we would all be riding bikes or horses, no wait they kill people, too. As does walking!!!
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I guess there is a lot of smokers that would rather see smoking banned as a sch. 1 drug then pay the taxes. or didn’t understand what I said, it happens…
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merc, using your logic, the govt. should step in and ban McDonald’s, Taco John’s, DQ, BK, numerous junk food aisles at HyVee……bad eating habits contribute to health problems as well.
http://www.health.umn.edu/media/releases/fast-food-in-singapore/index.htm
As an ex-smoker (1-2 packs a day) I had an easier time giving up cigarettes than chips and ice cream. How about the govt stay out of peoples lives and let them live with their choices. The problem with more tax $$ is it won’t make people quit and the money never gets spent the way the politicians say it will.
If your upset about 2.9 billion dollars being spent on “direct medical care” from smokers, what about diabetes and heart disease from junk food? I’ll bet the local fast food joints and grocery stores would love for a new tax on their product, or maybe you can be in charge of deciding what can and can’t be sold.
Deano is right, what do we get for our “war on drugs” money?
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My logic is what is under the Controlled Substance Law…if you would read it you would see that tobacco fall under a Schedule 1.
http://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/index.html#define
There is a clear difference between fast food and tobacco. One is a drug…one isn’t. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act has very clear defintions of the two and they are NOT the same. Raising a tax on a DRUG to pay for its negative effects makes no sense when that DRUG has NO HEALTH BENEFITS, when it should be illegal by the CURRENT laws definitions.
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Tobacco in the same category as heroin and LSD? Wow, what a comparison…I agree the addictive properties of tobacco are real but to compare it to schedule I drugs is ludicrous.
And by the way, tobacco is still LEGAL and adults have the choice to use it or not. If you don’t like it don’t use it.
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“Wow, what a comparison…I agree the addictive properties of tobacco are real but to compare it to schedule I drugs is ludicrous.” Then tell us the health benefit of tobacco? OR which medical doctor would allow patients to use it? OR that it isn’t addicting? BY THE DEFINITION of the CURRENT law, tobacco should be illegal. It has NO medical benefit, NO saftey of use under a medical provider, and has a VERY HIGH potential for abuse.
“If you don’t like it don’t use it.” This childish statement could be used on any illegal drug as justification for use.
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Hamburger purchased at a fast food joint stands a great chance of being imported. If so it may contain drugs that promote leanness in livestock.
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This is funny. Minister Merc is pushing for a law to be enforced. Is this the same Minister who doesn’t want any immigration laws enforced?
The modern american: want to do whatever they want, but then want somebody to take care of them when they need it. No time for self-control or for taking care of yourself.
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Yep, one and the same merc. You are right, only wish I would of thought of that. I ‘d rather pay for smokers then illegals, as is I guess it’s both, actually I don’t want pay for either what a joke……..
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The same minister that wants to take guns away from people who have done nothing wrong also….
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Why not increase the tax on alcohol? Make that a Sched. 1 drug. How much does alcohol cost society every year? More than cigarettes do by far.
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Alcohol abuse health cost are estimated at 26 billion a year. Tobacco health care cost is 96 billion per year (an additional 10 billion from 2nd hand smoke). Even estimate with loss of productivity, tobacco does cost more.
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/10report/chap06c.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/
Alcohol doesn’t fit all 3 of the criteria for a schd 1. There are accepted medical uses and benefits and it can be used safely under medical supervision. Example, 1 glass of red wine per day would be allowed by a physician for its cardio protective effects.
Also its abuse potential (how much your body will be dependent on 1st time use) is low. Medically it doesn’t have nearly the addiction response as the Schd 1s. Gallup poll has shown that nearly 2 out of 3 adults (66%) have drank alcohol in the past year occasionally. Yet only 8% of American adults have an alcohol addiction. Gallup has shown that 21% of American adults say they are regular smokers (didn’t ask about chewing tobacco). Medical providers will agree that Tobacco has a far worse addiction/abuse profile than Alcohol.
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http://www.stillaproblem.com/
Shows the impact, cost, and numbers about tobacco on MINNESOTA.
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This website is the same as the ad on TV saying tobacco co.s spend 1 1/2 million on advertising in Mn. Where is it ? They can’t advertise in books,on radio, on tv, on billboards, even Joe Camel was banned. Methinks the numbers have been juggled. I don’t even smoke and everytime I see one of those stupid anti-smoking ads I get an urge to light up. The anti-smoking ads can’t be helping if Mn smoking adult numbers dropped from 7 to 12 of all the states.
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