Advocates Say Increased Taxes on Cigarettes Will Save Lives and Money in Mississippi

[TexasTowelie]

A coalition of cigarette tax advocates is asking Mississippi legislators to Invest in a Healthier Future. MPB's Ashley Norwood reports.

Khalil Jackson is listing family members he's seen become chronically ill or pass away due to cigarette usage. The use of Tobacco products remain the nation's number one cause of preventable death, according to the American Cancer Society. A senior student at St. Andrews, he says he hopes the use of cigarettes in his family stops with him.

"Up to my great-great-grandfather, great grandfather, grandfather...Every single one of them has had a turn for the worse in terms of their health in one way or another," said Jackson.

Katherine Bryant is with the American Heart Association, one of the 30 plus organizations part of the "Invest in a Healthier Future" Coalition. Bryant says increasing tobacco taxes and investing in tobacco prevention will not only save lives but save the state money.

Read more: http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2018/11/29/advocates-say-increased-taxes-on-cigarettes-will-save-lives-and-money-in-mississippi/