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National Report Ranks California 31st in Protecting Kids From Tobacco

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 General News
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Ten Years After Tobacco Settlement, States Falling Short in Funding Tobacco Prevention



WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, California ranks 31st in the nation in funding programs to protect kids from tobacco, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
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California currently spends $78.1 million a year on tobacco prevention programs, which is 17.7 percent of the $441.9 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Other key findings for California include:



The annual report on states' funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled "A Decade of Broken Promises," was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.



California has the longest-running and one of the most successful tobacco control programs in the country, but funding for the program was cut significantly in 2002 and has yet to be restored. In addition, the CDC recently updated and increased its recommendations for state funding of tobacco prevention and cessation programs, taking into account new science, population increases, inflation and other cost factors. As a result, California is now spending only 17.7 percent of what the CDC recommends. California is also one of only six states that have not increased cigarette taxes in recent years, and the state's cigarette tax of 87 cents per pack is well below the states average of $1.19.



California's tobacco control program has produced significant health and financial benefits for the state. Studies show California's efforts have saved tens of thousands of lives by reducing smoking-caused disease and death, and youth and adult smoking rates in the state are well below the national average. Between 1998 and 2001, lung and bronchus cancer rates in California declined three times faster than the rest of the U.S. An August 2008 study found that California's tobacco control program saved $86 billion in its first 15 years (1989-2004), compared to $1.8 billion the state spent on the program, for a return on investment of nearly 50:1.



"California has long been a national leader in fighting tobacco, but the state is at risk of falling behind and now spends less than a fifth of the CDC's recommended amount for tobacco control programs," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "On this 10th anniversary of the tobacco settlement, we call on California's leaders to raise the state cigarette tax and increase funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. As California has proven, tobacco prevention is a smart investment that reduces smoking, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs."



On Nov. 23, 1998, 46 states settled their lawsuits against the nation's major tobacco companies to recover tobacco-related health care costs, joining four states (Mississippi, Texas, Florida and Minnesota) that had reached earlier settlements. These settlements require the tobacco companies to make annual payments to the states in perpetuity, with total payments estimated at $246 billion over the first 25 years. The states also collect billions of dollars each year in tobacco taxes.



The new report finds that most states have broken their promise to use a significant portion of their tobacco money to fund programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.



According to the report, the states in the last 10 years have received $203.5 billion in revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes. But they have spent only 3.2 percent of this tobacco money - $6.5 billion - on tobacco prevention and cessation programs.



Other findings of the report include:



The report warns that the nation faces two immediate challenges in the fight against tobacco use: complacency and looming state budget shortfalls. First, while the nation has made significant progress over the past decade in reducing smoking, progress has slowed and further progress is at risk without aggressive efforts at all levels of government. Second, the states are expected to face budget shortfalls in the coming year as a result of the weak economy. The last time the states faced significant budget shortfalls, they cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by 28 percent between 2002 and 2005. The cutbacks are a major reason why smoking declines subsequently stalled, and states should not make the same mistake again.



In California, 15.4 percent of high school students and 14.3 percent of adults smoke, and 36,600 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 37,800 lives and costs the state $9.1 billion in health care bills.



More information, including the full report and state-specific information, can be obtained at www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements.



(NOTE: The CDC recently updated its recommended funding for state tobacco prevention programs, taking into account new science, population increases, inflation and other cost factors. In most cases, the new recommendations are higher than previous ones. This report is the first to assess the states based on these new recommendations.)



-- The tobacco companies spend more than $843 million a year on marketing in California. This is almost 11 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention. -- California this year will collect more than $1.8 billion from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 5 percent of it on tobacco prevention.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
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