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Maryland UMs lobby for tobacco tax increase

BY KAREN M. THOMPSON
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT

United Methodists are seeking to kick butt in Annapolis by lobbying to raise the states tobacco tax.

The Baltimore-Washington Conference Board of Christian Presence in Gods World is very much involved in the Kick Butt coalition to raise the state tobacco tax, said Sandra Ferguson, associate council director. We get our directive from the Book of Discipline, she said. The United Methodist Social Principles recommend a total abstinence from the use of tobacco.

The board is also concerned that tobacco companies are targeting young people and minorities, Ferguson said. She cites statistics from the Maryland Childrens Initiative, which say that each day 60 Maryland children become cigarette addicts and, that once addicted, one-third of them will die of tobacco-related illnesses.

However, the church is fighting back. There is a direct correlation between raising the tobacco tax and reducing smoking, especially among teens, Ferguson said.

According to the childrens initiative, studies show that for every 10 percent increase in the cost of cigarettes, the number of teen smokers drops by 7 percent.

In this campaign to raise the tax on tobacco, United Methodists are joining the Maryland Citizens Health Initiative, which has brought together more than 2,175 groups from across Maryland to work for health care for all of the states residents.
The cigarette tax was raised 30 cents in 1999 to 66 cents per pack according to Glenn Schneider, deputy director of the health initiative. This hike resulted in a 16 percent decrease in consumption among adults, and a 30 percent reduction among tenth graders, he said. It also created $30 million in revenue that was used for prevention and cessation programs. Maryland now ranks among the thirteenth highest in cigarette taxes. Washington, D.C., has the highest tax at $1.42 per pack.

Health Care For All is now calling for a tax increase of 70 cents on cigarettes. It proposes that the revenue could be used to fund a state health care plan, which would be implemented in two phases.

The first phase would be to provide quality, affordable health care for all uninsured Marylanders. According to a plan the organization released in September, there are 510,000 uninsured adults and 43,041 uninsured children in the state.

The second phase would address the needs of people who are dissatisfied with their current plans because they are underinsured or having trouble receiving benefits, Schneider said.

Schneider attributes much of Heath Care for Alls success to area United Methodists. The United Methodist Church is a key leader in the religious community regarding social justice issues, he said. We could not have done it without the United Methodists. They really know how to push social issues and get the job done.

There are more than 200,000 United Methodists within the boundaries of the conference, Ferguson said.