Cig tax hike ‘single most effective way to stop youths from smoking’; reservation sales also targeted

If Idaho’s going to consider raising its cigarette tax, which is among the lowest in the nation, House Speaker Lawerence Denney said, the state also should address sales on Indian reservations in the state and sales over the Internet. House Minority Leader John Rusche, D-Lewiston, said, “I do think there’s a way we can reach an agreement with the tribes, similar to what we did with the fuel tax, that advantages both sides.” That might require tribes to raise their own cigarette taxes to cover smoking-related reservation health costs, he said.

Rusche, a physician, said, “It is the single most significant public health effort we could make. … There’s nothing that compares to it, education or other programs - increasing the cost of cigarettes is the single most effective way to stop youths from smoking.”