Key Points
- Tax proposal: Cigarette tax could be raised from the current $0.37 per pack, well below the national average of $1.97.
- Flavor ban & disclosure: Lawmakers propose banning flavored e-cigarettes and requiring ingredient disclosure on packaging.
- Licensing reform: Plans to increase vape shop licensing fees to curb rapid growth.
- Youth concerns: Research shows one in five middle school students, one in four high school students, and one in three college students vape.
- Funding gap: Georgia urged to restore $2.1 million for tobacco prevention programs, halted after federal budget cuts.
2Firsts, September 1, 2025 — According to geiceconnect, as smoking and vaping rates continue to rise, a bipartisan panel in the Georgia House of Representatives is studying new measures including raising tobacco taxes, banning flavored e-cigarettes, mandating ingredient disclosure, and increasing licensing fees for vape shops.
Committee chair Sharon Cooper, a Republican representative from Marietta, noted during a recent hearing that although tax hikes are unpopular in election years, related legislation could come up for a vote as early as 2026.
At the same hearing, Dr. Daniel Miller, a thoracic surgeon at the Medical College of Georgia, presented data showing that vape shops in the state now outnumber Chick-fil-A and Starbucks combined. He emphasized that with a $10 license fee, these shops have proliferated rapidly, warning that vaping products often contain 25 times more nicotine than cigarettes, posing severe risks to youth.
Republican lawmaker Ron Stephens, a long-time advocate of raising tobacco taxes, revealed that his sister-in-law, a smoker since the 1970s, had recently died. He argued that “smoking inevitably leads to health problems, and ultimately someone has to pay.” He stressed that in light of federal budget cuts, higher taxes could help offset the state’s healthcare costs.
Currently, Georgia’s cigarette tax is $0.37 per pack, one of the lowest in the United States, only higher than Missouri’s $0.17, and far below the national average of $1.97.
Meanwhile, public health experts have urged the state to restore $2.1 million in funding for the Tobacco Use Prevention Program, which was shut down in May following CDC budget cuts, though the state says “core” prevention and cessation programs remain operational.
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