We wanted you to be the first to know! Governor George Pataki has proposed a budget that increases the state cigarette tax by $1 per pack and funds the state's tobacco prevention program at $95 million - the level recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If the legislature passes this budget it would drastically reduce youth smoking and save the lives of thousands of New York kids.
The Governor's proposal is just the first step - we need to make sure the New York state legislature approves the budget. Your help is critical in this fight.
Please click here to take action today! Urge your legislators to approve the $1 per pack cigarette tax increase and the $95 million funding for the New York tobacco prevention program.
Smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the country, and 90 percent of smokers start in their teens or younger. Raising the cigarette tax and properly funding tobacco prevention programs are two of the best ways to keep kids from smoking and help smokers quit. And unless we act now, thousands of New York's kids will continue to become addicted to cigarettes every year. One in three of them will die prematurely from a tobacco-caused disease.
Email your legislators today! Tell them to protect New York's kids from the deadly toll of tobacco. Click here to send an email to your legislators today. Urge them to quickly approve the Governor's proposals to raise the cigarette tax and increase funding for the state's tobacco prevention program.
Thank you for all you do to protect New York's kids from cigarettes.
From the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids |
