Celebrating the past and looking towards the future

Early this month, over 50 Montanans gathered in Helena to celebrate 20 years of the Clean Indoor Air Act, at an event hosted by the Montana Kids vs. Big Tobacco coalition. The coalition includes the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and traveling in from out of state, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and American Lung Association. We also celebrated the recent addition to include e-cigarettes in the Act. Speaking at the event were both the sponsor and carrier of the bill, Senator Curdy and Representative G. Nikolakakos, as well as present and former advocates from around the state.

We are planning to use this momentum to build out our tobacco work in the state. E-cigarettes are not taxed in Montana, and the cigarette tax hasn’t been raised in over twenty years. Advocates and legislators at the event expressed growing concern about the need to update our tax code.