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The Alberta government should increase cigarette taxes by at least $1.50 per pack, while also reinvesting some of that revenue into smoking prevention efforts, a new poll from an anti-tobacco group has found.

The non-random online survey of 1,005 Albertans was conducted by Leger Research for the advocacy coalition Campaign for a Smoke-Free Alberta.

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Two-thirds of respondents told the pollster they would support a tax hike of at least $1.50 per pack of 20 cigarettes “to bring our affordability levels in line with neighbouring provinces.”

An even stronger majority, 75 per cent, said they agreed with the idea of reinvesting tax revenue into “effective strategies to help smokers quit and keep youth from starting to use tobacco.”

The anti-smoking coalition said Alberta currently has the most affordable cigarettes in Canada due to suppressed taxes and high wages, while provincial smoking rates remain higher than the national average.