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NTCC Priorities

• 1. Increase consumer demand for evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments and services
• 2. Link tobacco control public policy changes to increase cessation and treatment use and demand
• 3. Promote the inclusion and use of tobacco control and cessation content in electronic health records (EHRs)
• 4. Increase national, state and local longitudinal surveillance of tobacco-use cessation, including quitting motivation and behaviors, treatment beliefs and use, services, and policies
• 5. Expand access to proven, effective treatments for tobacco addiction
• 6. Support an expanded research agenda to achieve advances in the reach, effectiveness and adoption of tobacco cessation interventions across both individuals and populations
• 7. Launch an ongoing, extensive, national paid media campaign on cessation to help Americans quit using tobacco
• 8. Support the increase in the federal and state excise tax on tobacco to expand assistance for tobacco users who want to quit
• 9. Build capacity for quitlines in order to provide universal access to evidence-based counseling and medications for tobacco cessation

National Priority #8

Support the increase in the federal and state excise tax on tobacco to expand assistance for tobacco users who want to quit

A great body of research shows that increases in cigarette taxes and price lead to reductions in cigarette purchases and smoking. This research shows that each ten percent increase in price results in about a four percent decrease in overall cigarette consumption. This reduction is due to smokers quitting, former smokers not restarting, reductions in amount smoked by those continuing to smoke, and youth not becoming smokers. In addition, empirical evidence strongly supports the finding that combining an excise tax increase with a comprehensive program results in a sustained decline in tobacco use prevalence.

Featured Partner Activity

NTCC partner Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids played an important role in advocating for the recent increase in federal tobacco taxes, including a 62-cent increase in the cigarette tax, and expanding the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Although the revenue from the tax increase does not directly support cessation services, increasing tobacco taxes is a proven strategy to reduce smoking and other tobacco use. Studies show that every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes causes:

• Nearly 7% decline in youth prevalence
• A 2% decline in adult prevalence
• A 4% decline in overall consumption

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids projects the federal tobacco tax increase to result in:

• Roughly 10% decline in pack sales nationally
• More than 1.9 million kids not becoming addicted, adult smokers
• More than 1 million adult smokers quitting
• 248,000 fewer smoking-affected births over the next 5 years
• More than 900,000 smoking-caused deaths avoided
• $44.5 billion in long-term healthcare savings from adult & youth smoking declines

Other Partner Activities

NTCC partners are currently conducting many activities related to this priority. For a list of these NTCC partner activities, click here.