National Report: Washington Falls to 42nd in Protecting Kids from Tobacco

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Nov 30, 2011, 12:00 ET

State Has Virtually Eliminated Funding for National Recognized Tobacco Prevention Program

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- After years of being a leader in fighting tobacco use, Washington has fallen to 42nd 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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Washington has slashed funding for its tobacco prevention and cessation programs by 97 percent in the past three years, from $27.2 million in 2009 to $13.4 million last year and to just $750,000 this year. As a result, Washington now spends just one percent of the $67.3 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The report's other key findings for Washington include:

Washington this year will collect $620 million in revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 0.1 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs. This means Washington is spending less than a penny of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
The tobacco companies spend $122.5 million a year to market their products in Washington. This is 163 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.

Before the recent budget cuts, Washington has been a national leader in the fight against tobacco with a high tobacco tax, a statewide smoke-free law and effective programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. As a result, Washington has reduced adult smoking by one-third and youth smoking by half. A study conducted for the state Department of Health estimated that the tobacco prevention and cessation program has prevented 13,000 premature deaths and nearly 65,000 hospitalizations, saving $1.5 billion in health care costs.

But Washington's progress has been put at risk by the virtual elimination of the state's tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

"Washington will pay a very high price in health, lives and money unless it quickly restores funding for its highly successful tobacco prevention and cessation programs," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "As Washington has conclusively demonstrated, tobacco prevention is a smart investment that protects kids, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs. Given all these benefits, it would be truly penny-wise and pound-foolish if Washington fails to restore funding for tobacco prevention."

In Washington, 12.7 percent of high school students smoke, and 7,100 more kids become regular smokers each year. Tobacco annually claims 7,600 lives and costs the state $1.95 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