A recent poll showed 76 percent of New Mexicans would support increasing the tax on tobacco products to provide funds for health research.
"Now we're going to use that data to help bolster some arguments for increasing funding for health programs in the state and to encourage aligning health priorities in the state with what New Mexicans want," said Linda Penaloza, a research assistant professor at UNM's Prevention Research Center, which co-sponsored the survey.
Penaloza, the researcher responsible for getting funds for the poll, said respondents named cancer, diabetes, heart disease, HIV and AIDS, respiratory diseases, Alzheimer's Disease and obesity as the health concerns they would most like to see researched.
The tax on tobacco products is 91 cents per pack. The survey does not specify how much these taxes would increase.
"Ninety-one cents is already excessive," said Vincent Guadiana, a UNM student and smoker. " Most people who smoke are poor, so it's a form of repression. They're people who are trying to get from week to week, so there's more stuff for them to be concerned about than just smoking."
Ninety-eight percent of the people polled also said it should be a priority for the medical community to research the links between low-income households and minorities and increased rates of diabetes, heart disease and infant mortality.
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"Generally people with low-income households have worse health outcomes like higher incidents of diabetes and heart disease," Penaloza said. "They're also disproportionately impacted by the marketing of tobacco products. So, they might be targeted for increasing their tobacco use."
Penaloza added that the higher disease rates among low-income households can be attributed to not having health insurance, living in a rural setting without access to health care and having to travel great distances for fresh fruits and vegetables.
The poll was conducted by telephone, and 808 people responded. The data were weighted by age, sex, race, education and income, according to a news release. Penaloza said weighted data help ensure the demographics of the people polled are proportionate to the demographics of people in New Mexico.
"That is a polling technique that is designed to compensate for people who might be hard to reach, so we can make certain we're counting their opinions," she said.
Seventy-five percent of the respondents said tobacco settlement funds should be used to fund programs that prevent tobacco use.
"Increased taxes and ridiculous lawsuits just hurt the tobacco companies, and is ultimately hard on employees," said Pat Toohey, a UNM student and smoker. "They lay people off. People aren't quitting smoking. Instead of paying these lawsuits, they should put that money into health research."
UNM student Jennifer Caudill said though she smokes, she doesn't mind paying extra taxes, especially if they are going to the right programs. She said she would not quit because of the prices until it got up to $7 a pack.
