Poll: Most Georgians support cigarette tax hike

A new poll has found that 71 percent of Georgians support raising the state excise cigarette tax by 75 cents. <br> <br> Eighty-three percent said the money should be used for youth tobacco prevention programs and 88 percent said it should go toward cancer treatment. <br> <br> Georgia&#39;s current 12-cent state tax on a pack of cigarettes is one of the lowest in the nation, 46th lowest out of 50 states, according to rankings collected by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. <br> <br> According to the poll, most Georgians support using the newly generated revenue to help Medicare pay for prescription drugs, and to fund cancer treatment and prevention programs. <br> <br> The poll was sponsored by the Georgia Alliance for Tobacco Prevention - a coalition of health and advocacy groups that may launch an effort to increase the state&#39;s cigarette tax. <br> <br> It sampled a cross section of 500 state residents by telephone in April.