Advocates in Helena push for $2 cigarette tax increase in 2027
Helena advocates said a $2 cigarette tax would hit smokers at the register while pushing Montana to confront tobacco-related health costs and youth vaping.
Helena advocates relaunched the fight for a $2-per-pack cigarette tax increase, setting up a 2027 push that would raise the price on every pack sold in Montana from the current $1.70.
Montana now charges 8.5 cents on each cigarette, or $1.70 on a standard pack of 20, and the tax has not been raised since 2005. The rate has fallen behind the market as products have changed and nicotine use has spread among younger people.
More than 1,600 Montanans die each year from tobacco-related disease. State guidance calls tobacco use a major preventable burden. The Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program’s 2024-2029 strategic plan keeps youth and young adult prevention at the center while also calling for action on commercial tobacco-related disparities.
Denver Henderson of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said conversations with lawmakers at the end of the last session left him hopeful that Republicans and Democrats might be willing to act. A June 2026 poll commissioned by the Montana Kids vs. Big Tobacco coalition and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids found 77% of Montana voters back a $2-per-pack cigarette tax increase and 70% support ending the sale of flavored tobacco products.
High school students attending the ReACT tobacco-use prevention summit in Helena described nicotine and marijuana products showing up in church youth groups and very young students using e-cigarettes at school. State health materials put the share at about half of Montana high school students who have tried e-cigarettes, 24% who currently use them, and frequent or daily use that rose by almost 200% from 2015 to 2023.
Retailers across Lewis and Clark County could see some customers buy fewer cigarettes or shift spending to cheaper products, and a price jump could send some shoppers across state lines if neighboring markets offer better deals.
Montana voters rejected a similar initiative in the November 6, 2018 election. That measure, I-185, would have raised tobacco taxes and extended Medicaid expansion.
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