National Report: North Carolina Ranks 21st in Protecting Kids from Tobacco

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Nov 30, 2011, 09:00 ET

Future Funding for Tobacco Prevention at Risk Due to Elimination of Health and Wellness Trust Fund

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- North Carolina ranks 21st in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.

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North Carolina currently spends $17.3 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 16.2 percent of the $106.8 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, North Carolina took a big step backward this year by abolishing the Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF), which previously received 25 percent of the state's tobacco settlement funds and provided dedicated funding for the state's tobacco prevention and cessation program. The tobacco prevention program was kept alive this year with $17.3 million of the funds remaining in the HWTF, which were transferred to the state Department of Health and Human Services. But this one-time funding will run out after the current budget year and the program faces elimination unless the Legislature continues to fund it next year.

The report's other key findings for North Carolina include:

North Carolina this year will collect $431 million in revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 4 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs. This means North Carolina is spending just 4 cents of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
The tobacco companies spend $396 million a year to market their products in North Carolina. This is 22 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 13 Years Later," was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.

North Carolina's tobacco prevention and cessation programs, along with the statewide smoke-free law, have contributed to significant declines in smoking. Since 2002, North Carolina has reduced smoking by 40 percent among high school students and by 25 percent among adults.

"North Carolina has made significant progress in reducing smoking and its terrible toll, but the state's progress is at risk unless it continues to dedicate settlement funds to tobacco prevention and cessation programs," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "Even in these difficult budget times, tobacco prevention is a smart investment for North Carolina that protects kids, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs."

In North Carolina, 16.7 percent of high school students smoke and 19.8 percent of adults currently smoke. About 11,100 kids become regular smokers each year. Tobacco annually claims 12,200 lives and costs the state $2.46 billion in health care bills.

Nationally, the report finds that most states are failing to adequately fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Altogether, the states have cut funding for these programs to the lowest level since 1999, when they first started receiving tobacco settlement payments. Key national findings of the report include:

The states this year will collect $25.6 billion from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 1.8 percent of it – $456.7 million – on tobacco prevention programs. This means the states are spending less than two cents of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
States have cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by 12 percent ($61.2 million) in the past year and by 36 percent ($260.5 million) in the past four years.
Only two states – Alaska and North Dakota – currently fund tobacco prevention programs at the CDC-recommended level.

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 19.3 percent of adults and 19.5 percent of high school students still 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.

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