have beeny demarco is -- vinny demarco is trying to raise thetax. tell us why. >> to save lives. and raise money for critical health care programs. we have done it over the last decade and raising cigarette taxs in way that saved 70,000 people from unnecessary preventable tobacco caused deaths and we will save lives by alcohol tax we raised this past year. we will guild on -- build on the successes with the increase. it's good policy and good politics. our poll shows consistently the vast majority of maryland's voters support raising the cigarette tax and they will vote for candidates who support it. that's why we think the legislature will do this. >> reporter: you were largely behind the alcohol tax and now the tobacco tax. we raised the alcohol tax. what are the chances politically speaking this would pass the general assembly any time in the near future? >> we know tobacco lobbyist are power pull and have money and able to stop the measures for a little bit. but when we bring the hundreds of organizations together from the aarp, who is hosting the event today, the naacp and f

the man behind it vinny demarco.ell us why you guys are doing this and later this morning, you will be launching a campaign? >> yes. we will do this to save lives. when you raise the cigarette tax you save lives and reduce health care cost and raise money for health care. and it's a win-win and people want it. we will be hosted by the aarp of maryland. they are making this a priority along with many other organizations including american cancer society, heart and lung, key faith groups and united methodist and the naacp and key labor unions. united seniors of maryland. people of maryland represented by the organizations are saying to the legislature, you did it right in the past by raising cigarette tax now do it again. we think it's going to happen. >> how are you going to get word out? you plan to take the airwaves or commercials or going door to door? pooh we are going through the-- >> we are going through the organizations that represent million of marylanders and they will let their people know this is coming an

, we pay $2 per pack and the goal is to raise it to $3 per pack and to tell us all about it is vinny demarco. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> reporter: what are you looking to do in. >> we are looking to save lives. over the last ten years there's been a dramatic drop in teen smoking and overall smoking in harold because of the increase in the cigarette tax. we have saved 70,000 lives from unnecessary tobacco caused deaths. and we have used the money to expand health care to over 250,000 maryland people because of an increase in cigarette tax. and this year we increase the alcohol tax which is saving lives. we want to build on that success by increasing cigarette tax another dollar per pack that will save many thousands more people from unnecessary preventable tobacco caused death and bring in the kind of money we need to make sure people have health care. it's good policy. >> sure. >> reporter: later this morningyou will launch something brand new. >> later this morning hosted by the aarp we will have many, manyprominent organizations in maryland from the medical society, to the naa

to tell us more about it is vinny demarco with maryland citizens health initiative. what are you looking to do? >> we are trying to save lives. and build on our success over the last decade. as you can see from this chart, beginning in 1999, when we increased cigarette tax by 30 cents per pack, every time we increased the tax, there's been a significant drop in smoking. the result has been a 32% drop in smoking in maryland double the national average. and, 70,000 lives saved from preventable tobacco caused death that saves lives and us money because it's not people going to the hospital running up huge hospital bills that we pay for. and the money from it is used to expand health care for over 250,000 maryland children, parents and seniors. we want to build on the success. >> that's -- >> reporter: that's what you are looking to do if the tax goes up. where would the money go. >> we want some to go to tobacco control and prevention to help people quit. and to encourage kids to not start. and we want to put the money into health care long-term care, public health meas