State Urged to Increase Cigarette Tax and Restore Funding for Tobacco Prevention
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9
/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
After years of being a national leader in fighting tobacco, Washington has cut funding for its successful tobacco prevention and cessation program by 42 percent and fallen from 14th to 19th among the states in funding such programs, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080918/CFTFKLOGO)
Health advocates say Washington's progress is at risk unless the state raises its cigarette tax and restores funding for programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
Washington this year is spending a total of $17.2 million on tobacco prevention programs, including $15.8 million in state funds and a $1.4 million federal grant. This total is just 25.5 percent of the $67.3 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Last year, Washington ranked 14th, spending $28.4 million on tobacco prevention.
Key findings for Washington include:
- In the past year, Washington has cut state funding for its tobacco prevention program by 42 percent, from $27.2 million to $15.8 million. This is one of the largest cuts of any state.
- Washington this year will collect $569 million from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 3 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs.
- The tobacco companies spend $146 million a year to market their products in Washington. This is 8 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.
The annual report on states' funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled "A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 11 Years Later," 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.
Washington has had one of the nation's best-funded and most successful tobacco prevention and cessation programs, reducing adult smoking by 30 percent and overall youth smoking by 50 percent since its program began. The Washington State Department of Health has estimated that the state's smoking declines translate into 65,000 fewer youth smokers, 295,000 fewer adult smokers and $2.8 billion in future health care cost savings. However, the funding cuts put that progress at risk. In addition, Washington has not increased its cigarette tax – another proven way to reduce smoking – since 2005.
"Washington had been a national leader in the fight against tobacco, but the state has taken a big step backward this year," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "To keep making progress, it is critical that Washington's leaders increase the cigarette tax and restore funding for tobacco prevention. Even in these difficult budget times, tobacco prevention is a smart investment for Washington that reduces smoking, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs."
In Washington, 14.4 percent of tenth graders smoke, and 6,600 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 7,600 lives and costs the state $2 billion in health care bills.
Eleven years after the 1998 state tobacco settlement, the new report finds that the states this year are collecting record amounts of revenue from the tobacco industry, but are spending less of it on tobacco prevention. Key national findings of the report include:
- The states this year will collect $25.1 billion from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 2.3 percent of it – $567.5 million – on tobacco prevention programs. It would take less than 15 percent of their tobacco revenue to fund tobacco prevention programs in every state at CDC-recommended levels.
- In the past year, states have cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by more than 15 percent, or $103.4 million.
- Only one state – North Dakota – currently funds a tobacco prevention program at the CDC-recommended level.
- Only nine other states fund prevention programs at even half the CDC-recommended amount, while 31 states and DC are providing less than a quarter of the recommended funding.
The report warns that the nation's progress in reducing smoking is at risk unless states increase funding for programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. The United States has significantly reduced smoking among both youth and adults, but the CDC's most recent survey showed that smoking declines among adults have stalled. Currently 20 percent of high school students and 20.6 percent of adults smoke.
Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing more than 400,000 people and costing $96 billion in health care bills each year. Every day, another 1,000 kids become regular smokers – one-third of them will die prematurely as a result.
More information, including the full report and state-specific information, can be obtained at www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements.
SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
