Alaska Highlights

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Alaska. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Alaska’s elected officials:

In the 2023 Alaska legislative session, Senator Gary Stevens introduced Senate Bill 89 to tax electronic cigarettes. The bill was also sponsored by Senators Giessel, Gray-Jackson, Kiehl and Tobin. SB 89 also proposed aligning state law with the federal law raising the minimum age to buy, sell or possess tobacco and electronic smoking products from age 19 to 21.

SB 89 received a dual referral to the Senate Finance and Labor and Commerce committees; the bill passed both committees and moved to the Senate Floor where it passed on third reading on May 16, 2023, with 14 yeas and 6 nays.

Prior to the end of the 2023 legislative session, the bill was transmitted to the House for consideration. The bill carries over and will be considered by the House chamber during the 2024 legislative session.

Allocation of funding for tobacco prevention and control programs in Alaska for fiscal year 2024 was set at $6.5 million, which was a similar level to last year, but maintains a significant cut from two years ago. The Lung Association will continue to advocate for returning to the previous higher level of funding.

In 2024, the American Lung Association will continue to work with our volunteers and stakeholders to continue efforts to raise tobacco taxes to reduce consumption and delay youth initiation and ensure adequate funding for prevention and quit programs.