It is widely known that the use of tobacco products and secondhand smoke exposure put many at risk for tobacco-related health conditions that include: cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory diseases. To make matters worse, tobacco kills more than 480,000 people each year in the United States, with most adults becoming addicted to tobacco products before […]

‘Tis better to do nothing than to do something stupid. Two proposals are being circulated for placing tobacco tax increases before Missouri voters on the November 2016 ballot. Each proposal will need to collect upwards of 100,000 signatures before the May 8 filing deadline. Neither initiative is effective in impacting price-sensitive choices of young smokers. […]

It’s been four months since Kansas City, Missouri, and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, became the first cities in the metropolitan area to pass policies to increase the age of sale for tobacco products from 18 to 21. Since then Gladstone and Independence, Missouri, and Olathe and Prairie Village, Kansas, have passed […]

Update: Please read why we only support a tobacco tax that has an actual effect on public health. HCF intends to pursue a substantial and impactful increase in the tobacco tax in the coming years. HCF and many others came together in 2012 to advocate for a ballot initiative to increase Missouri’s tobacco tax from $0.17 per […]