ACS CAN Disappointed that Governor Murphy Enacted Rollback of E-Cigarette Tax

TRENTON, NJ – July 1, 2019 – Governor Phil Murphy has signed legislation into law that includes an exemption for container e-liquid from the liquid nicotine tax he signed into law last year. The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is disappointed that this new legislation was enacted.

More than 26 percent of cancer deaths in New Jersey are due to smoking. Approximately 12 percent of high school students in New Jersey used e-cigarettes in 2018 according to a report last year by the nonprofit Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

American Cancer Society Cancer Acton Network (ACS CAN) New Jersey Government Relations Director Samantha DeAlmeida said, “143,000 New Jerseyans now younger than 18 will die prematurely from smoking. By enacting this exemption New Jersey is removing a strong deterrent to youth smoking at a time we should be doing everything we can to save these lives. The law should not have been amended to allow for the exemption of dangerous products such as Juul. Young people are starting to smoke e-cigarettes such as Juul in record numbers. This tax rollback, makes it easier for New Jerseyans to get their hands-on e-cigarettes and start or continue this deadly addiction.”

About ACS CAN
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.

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