IOWA
Analysis, Commentary, Musings
IOWA
Analysis, Commentary, Musings
NEW HAMPSHIRE
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION 101: NEW HAMPSHIRE
January 13, 2020
Key Points:
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New Hampshire’s vaping industry provided more than $77 million in economic activity in 2018 while generating 360 direct vaping-related jobs. Sales of disposables and prefilled cartridges in New Hampshire exceeded $6.1 million in 2016.
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As of October 7, 2019, NHPHS has reported one case of vaping-related lung illness, noting other state health departments finding patients vaping THC prior to illness. NHPHS earns a D for its reporting on vaping-related lung illnesses.
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In 2019, only 3.9 percent of New Hampshire high school students reported daily e-cigarette use. More data is needed.
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Only 5 percent of FDA retail compliance checks in New Hampshire resulted in sales of e-cigarettes to minors from January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019.
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New Hampshire spends very little on tobacco prevention. In 2019, New Hampshire dedicated only $140,000 on tobacco control, or less than 1 percent of what the state received in tobacco settlement payments and taxes.
NEW HAMPSHIRE SHOULD AVOID DRACONIAN TAXES ON E-CIGARETTES AND VAPING DEVICES
March 14, 2019
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Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 680 would subject all vaping devices, even those that do not contain nicotine, to a 65 percent tax.
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Vaping taxes do little to deter youth use. After initiating a task force to combat youth e-cigarette sales, Lancaster County, Nebraska reported sales of vaping products to minors decreased “from 21.2 percent in 2017 to 5.3 percent in 2018.” Meanwhile, sales of non-vaping tobacco products increased during the same period, from 5.9 to 8.7 percent.
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Approximately three million American adults have used e-cigarettes to quit smoking. A 2019 study found e-cigarettes are twice as effective as nicotine replacement therapy in helping smokers quit.
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The Royal College of Physicians estimates the use of electronic cigarettes is “unlikely to exceed 5% of the harm [caused by] smoking.”
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A State Budget Solutions study found that if all current smoking Medicaid recipients had switched from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes, states’ Medicaid savings could have amounted to $48 billion in 2012.
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Vaping devices have been an economic boon for local and state economies. A 2015 analysis estimated “U.S. brick-and-mortar vape shops generate annual non-online sales of more than $300,000 per store.”
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As the Granite State currently dedicates very little funding to tobacco education and prevention efforts, it makes little sense for lawmakers to tax a product that helps smokers quit.
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In 2018, New Hampshire “received $261.3 million tobacco settlement payments and taxes,” yet spent only $140,000, less than 5 percent of funds, on prevention and cessation efforts.
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