National Report: Colorado Ranks 7th in Protecting Kids from Tobacco

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Dec 14, 2018, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado ranks 7th nationwide in funding programs that prevent kids from using tobacco and help smokers quit, according to a report released today by leading public health groups. Colorado is spending $23.6 million this year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is just 44.6 percent of the $52.9 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report challenges states to do more to fight tobacco use – the nation's No. 1 preventable cause of death – and to confront the growing epidemic of youth e-cigarette use in America. In Colorado, 7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes, while 26.2 percent use e-cigarettes, one of the highest rates in the nation. Tobacco use claims 5,100 Colorado lives and costs the state over $1.8 billion in health care bills annually.

Other key findings include:

Colorado will collect $286.3 million in revenue this year from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes and will spend 8.2 percent of the money on tobacco prevention programs.
Tobacco companies spend $140.3 million each year to market their deadly and addictive products in Colorado – almost 6 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention. Nationwide, tobacco companies spend $9.5 billion a year on marketing – that's over $1 million every hour.

The report – "Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 20 Years Later" – was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights and Truth Initiative. This year marks the 20^th anniversary of the landmark 1998 legal settlement between the states and the tobacco companies, which required the companies to pay more than $200 billion over time as compensation for tobacco-related health care costs.

While Colorado funds tobacco prevention better than most states, it is still spending less than half of what the CDC recommends. This is especially concerning because Colorado has one of the highest rates of youth e-cigarette use in the country.

Departing Gov. John Hickenlooper took steps to address this issue by signing an executive order that recommended, among other things, raising the state's tobacco sale age to 21 and banning the sale of flavored tobacco products. The state Legislature and Governor-elect Jared Polis should adopt these recommendations.

"While Colorado has made progress in reducing tobacco use, the state is facing a youth e-cigarette epidemic and must act to protect kids by investing in tobacco prevention programs, raising the tobacco age to 21 and banning the sale of flavored tobacco products that attract kids," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Colorado's leaders cannot let their guard down as tobacco is still the No. 1 cause of preventable death and e-cigarettes threaten to addict another generation. To win this fight, Colorado needs to do its part to make the next generation tobacco-free."

Nationwide, the U.S. has reduced smoking to record lows – 14 percent among adults and 7.6 percent among high school students. But tobacco use still kills more than 480,000 Americans and costs the nation about $170 billion in health care expenses each year. Today's report highlights the need to address large disparities in who still smokes, with smoking rates highest among people with lower income and less education, residents of the Midwest and South, American Indians/Alaska Natives, LGBT Americans, those who are uninsured or on Medicaid, and those with mental illness.

The report also highlights the youth e-cigarette epidemic. Driven by the popularity of Juul, a sleek, easy-to-hide e-cigarette that is sold in sweet flavors and delivers a powerful dose of nicotine, e-cigarette use among U.S. high school students skyrocketed by 78 percent this year to 20.8 percent. In 2018, more than 3.6 million middle and high school students were current e-cigarette users – an alarming increase of 1.5 million in just one year.

By funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs at the CDC's recommended levels, states can reduce tobacco use among all Americans. But most states are falling far short:

The states will collect $27.3 billion this year from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes but will spend only 2.4 percent of it ($655 million) on tobacco prevention programs.
The $655 million that the states have budgeted for tobacco prevention is a small fraction of the $3.3 billion the CDC recommends. Not a single state funds tobacco prevention programs at CDC-recommended levels, and only two states – Alaska and California – provide even 70 percent of the recommended funding.
States with well-funded, sustained tobacco prevention programs have seen remarkable progress. Florida, with one of the longest-running programs, has reduced its high school smoking rate to 3.6 percent, one of the lowest rates ever reported by any state.

The report and state-specific information can be found at tfk.org/statereport.

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids