Indiana Health Care Providers Urge Governor Holcomb To Support $2 Cigarette Tax Increase

Significantly raising the cigarette tax is the most effective way to improve the health of Hoosiers

Health care providers from 22 organizations, including your Academy, sent a letter to Gov. Eric Holcomb today urging him to prioritize a cigarette tax increase in the 2021 legislative session and increase investments in public health. The letter, signed by leaders of the 22 healthcare provider groups, said the COVID-19 pandemic had magnified other urgent and deadly health crises in Indiana that must be addressed.

“More than 11,000 Hoosiers will die from a tobacco-related illness in 2021, which is why smoking remains one of the biggest threats to the health of Hoosiers,” said IAFP member Lisa Hatcher, MD, past president of the Indiana State Medical Association. “Just as wearing a mask and social distancing can save lives during the pandemic, raising the cigarette tax will save lives for generations to come. Now is the time for action.”

Read the full letter here (PDF file)

Read the press release here (PDF file)