A Story from Colorado - In 2003 and again in 2004, the Colorado
legislature drastically reduced Master Settlement Agreement
funding for the State Tobacco Education and Prevention
Partnership (STEPP) within the Colorado Department of Public
Health. - Based on CDC’s Best Practices funding recommendations,
Colorado should be spending a minimum of $24.5 million a year on
its comprehensive tobacco control program. In 2004, the state
spent $4.3 million a year on tobacco prevention and control. -
Prior to November 2004, Colorado’s 20-cent cigarette excise tax
was one of the lowest in the nation. The state cigarette tax had
last been raised in 1986. - A coalition called Citizens for a
Healthier Colorado was formed to work toward passage of
Amendment 35: Tobacco Tax Increase for Health–Related Purposes.
WHAT did Citizens for a Healthier Colorado want? - To raise the
cigarette excise tax from 20 cents to 84 cents and the excise
tax on other tobacco products from 20% to 40% of the
manufacturer’s list price. - To earmark