Bill > HB398

This bill increases the tax on smokeless tobacco from 20% to 33% of the invoice price and establishes the Youth Cessation and Prevention Fund, a special fund in the state treasury. The bill requires the state treasurer to annually deposit 20% of the smokeless tobacco tax revenue into this fund, which will be dedicated to tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. The fund's money will be allocated specifically to four recipients: 40% to the Louisiana Cancer Research Center, 40% to the Louisiana Department of Health's Office of Public Health for the tobacco-related disease program, 10% to the Cancer Center of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, and 10% to the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Gonzales. The bill includes a provision to ensure that these fund allocations do not replace existing state general fund appropriations. The tax increase and fund establishment will take effect on July 1, 2025, and wholesale and retail dealers must file an inventory of smokeless tobacco products by August 1, 2025. The legislation aims to generate additional resources for preventing and addressing tobacco use among youth and adults.