WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, New Mexico ranks 11th 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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New Mexico currently spends $10.5 million a year on tobacco prevention programs, which is 44.9 percent of the $23.4 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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Other key findings for New Mexico 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.
The CDC recently updated and increased its recommendations for state funding of tobacco prevention programs, taking into account new science, population increases, inflation and other cost factors. Moving forward, New Mexico's leaders can step up their commitment to protecting kids from tobacco by allocating the bonus tobacco settlement payments the state began receiving last year to tobacco prevention.
"New Mexico had made a modest investment in programs to protect kids from tobacco, but is currently spending less than half of what the CDC recommends," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "On this 10th anniversary of the tobacco settlement, we call on New Mexico's leaders to keep the promise of the settlement and increase funding for tobacco prevention. 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.
The report found that there is more evidence than ever that tobacco prevention programs work to reduce smoking, save lives and save money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs. Washington State, which has been a national leader in funding tobacco prevention, has reduced smoking by 60 percent among sixth graders and by 43 percent among 12th graders since the late 1990s. A recent study found that California's tobacco control program saved $86 billion in health care costs in its first 15 years, compared to $1.8 billion spent on the program, for a return on investment of nearly 50:1.
In New Mexico, 24.2 percent of high school students smoke, and 2,300 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 2,100 lives and costs the state $461 million in health care bills.
More information, including the full report and state-specific information, can be obtained at www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements.
-- The tobacco companies spend $48 million a year on marketing in New Mexico. This is almost five times what the state spends on tobacco prevention. -- New Mexico this year will collect $108 million from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 10 percent of it on tobacco prevention.
SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
