Don’t Penalize Smokers for Trying to Quit

A new tobacco product that’s 90% safer or greater than smoking cigarettes can help countless Arizonans quit. But unless Arizona lawmakers pass a crucial bill to ensure this safer alternative isn’t taxed, the same as conventional cigarettes, the very Arizonans who need it the most will bear the brunt of the consequences.

Heated tobacco products — used in more than 60 countries and currently on their way to debuting on the U.S. market — couldn’t be more different than regular cigarettes. This product heats a small amount of tobacco just before combustion (unlike e-cigarettes or vapes, which are combustible and do not use tobacco), providing a similar smoking experience without many of the dangerous toxins, secondhand smoke, and other factors that have been associated with conventional cigarettes.

Read the rest of the op-ed at Arizona Capitol Times.

Amanda Hagerman is the senior policy and research analyst at the Goldwater Institute.