**STORY BY THE INDIANA CHRONICLE**

Cigarette consumption in Indiana dropped 40% during the first three months of a long-sought tax increase, according to the Indiana Department of Health. Enrollment in the agency’s smoking cessation program jumped almost 40% over that time.

“[Cigarette] use impacts, really, every aspect of health,” said Miranda Spitznagle, director of IDOH’s Division of Tobacco Prevention and Cessation. But it’s a risk factor that is “fully preventable. ” Using taxes to raise the price of tobacco helps current users quit and may dissuade others from starting, Spitznagle said. “It’s a huge policy factor for public health,” she added.

State legislators stuck a $2-per-pack hike into the two-year budget, House Enrolled Act 1001. They also proportionally increased taxes on e

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