Health officials are expecting a boost in calls to the state’s stop-smoking line after Washington raised the tax on a pack of cigarettes by a dollar.
The tax took effect on May 1. The tax on other tobacco products also went up.
There was a “spike in calls to the Quit Line after the federal tobacco tax went up by 62 cents a pack in April 2009,” said Theresa Cross, with Clark County’s tobacco prevention and education program. “A similar spike is anticipated with the recent tax increase.”
According to statistics provided by the state Department of Health, calls to the state’s Quit Line tripled after the April 2009 tax increase. The number of calls jumped from 1,229 in April 2008 to 3,678 callers a year later.
Clark County residents had a similar response. There were 67 callers from this area in April 2008; the number more than tripled after the federal tax increase, to 336 Clark County callers a year later.
This month’s tax hike was part of a revenue package to help balance the state budget. However, “raising tobacco prices is one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking,” Mary Selecky, state secretary of health, said in a news release.
“Quitting smoking improves a person’s health within hours and saves money, too. A pack-a-day smoker who quits will save nearly $2,500 a year,” she said.
The May 1 boost brings the tax to $3.03 a pack, second-highest in the nation. It boosts the average cost to $7.30 a pack, according the state Department of Revenue.
The Department of Health news release cited estimates from other organizations that the state’s tobacco tax increase will prompt about 19,000 adults to quit smoking.
“The tax is part of a larger anti-tobacco strategy, along with smoking bans and assistance programs,” Cross said.
Smokers who call the Quit Line talk to coaches who often are former smokers. They help callers recognize their smoking triggers and develop a personal plan to quit.
All state residents can receive some free support by calling the Quit Line. Medicaid subscribers can receive additional help, including prescription medication, if appropriate.
Washington’s adult smoking rate has dropped more than 30 percent since it began a tobacco-prevention program in 2000.
