Support I-185

As an organization that promotes integrated primary healthcare to achieve health and well-being for Montana’s most vulnerable and rural populations, the Montana Primary Care Association strongly endorses I-185, the Tobacco Tax Initiative.

The impact on people from tobacco use is well-documented. Because we work with many of Montana’s vulnerable and rural people, including at the Seeley-Swan Family Medical Center (a satellite of Partnership Health Center, one of MPCA’s members), we know that tobacco companies have long targeted our lower income communities and their kids, creating generations of families addicted to tobacco. The impact on these families is substantial with both significant income impacts and serious long-term health consequences.

A tobacco tax, as a policy, is a critical component in our efforts to reduce tobacco use in Montana. Combined with good cessation programs (which I-185 provides funding for), I-185 has the potential to reduce tobacco use by 11,000 Montanans, including 1,700 youth, and reduce thousands of premature deaths caused by tobacco. Tobacco use costs the Montana taxpayers over $440 million each year and yet we haven’t raised tobacco taxes in over 13 years – we are all shouldering the cost of tobacco-caused illness, yet these products continue to be affordable and readily accessible to everyone in our communities.

It’s time to hold tobacco companies accountable and stop the cycle of tobacco addiction. Let’s use all of the policy tools we can to make it harder to buy and consume a product that is known to kill thousands of Montanans every year.

Support I-185. As a strategy to reduce tobacco use, it’s the most powerful way to get thousands of people back on track and off deadly tobacco.