Let voters decide tuition proposal

Smokers feel picked on, and understandably so. In many quarters, they’re perceived as second-class citizens, addicts with a filthy habit whose right to smoke now seemingly extends no further than their own personal property.

It is thus also understandable that cigarette smokers would bristle and bark at the petition drive now under way that seeks to add another $1.50 tax to each pack of smokes they buy. The tax is now 57 cents per pack. We sympathize that this looks and feels like society grinding its heel on smokers like burning butts, but we also want to look hard at the bigger picture.

The goal of the petition drive is to use that extra money primarily to lower the cost of higher education for Idaho students, a noble objective from every reasonable economic perspective. Petition sponsors say the tax would generate enough to lower the cost of tuition by 22 percent for all in-state undergraduates attending Idaho public four-year institutions and generate $7 million annually to make community colleges in Idaho even more affordable. Further, petition backers say, the tax would provide about $7 million more each year to help fund tobacco cessation and education programs.

Those numbers seem ambitious to us, but assuming they’re in the ballpark, let’s proceed.

America suffers physically and fiscally from smoking. According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., and on average, smoking takes 10 years off a person’s life.

Financially, the statistics from smoking are also devastating. Nearly $170 billion a year is spent on direct medical care for adults, with another $156 billion in lost productivity due to premature death and exposure to secondhand smoke.

Idaho has the cheapest cigarette prices in the region. While it’s not smokers’ fault that Idaho also happens to have one of the nation’s lowest go-on rates to higher education, our state economy is increasingly suffering because we aren’t producing enough qualified employees for modern workforce demands. Finding a source of funding that would boost access to higher ed while potentially reducing the state’s greatest health hazard merits serious consideration.

We think voters in the 2016 general election should decide this important issue. Learn more at http://www.stoptuitionhikes.com and let’s get this question on the ballot.