National Report: California Ranks 26th in Protecting Kids from Tobacco

WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- California ranks 26th in the country in funding programs that prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a national report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.

The report challenges states to do more by shining the spotlight on Florida, which has cut its high school smoking rate to a record low 7.5 percent. The report details the lives and health care dollars each state could save if it brought its teen smoking rate down to Florida's.

If California reduced its high school smoking rate from the current 10.5 percent to 7.5 percent, it would prevent 280,000 kids from becoming adult smokers, saving 98,850 lives and $4.9 billion in future health care costs. Today in California, tobacco annually claims 40,000 lives and costs the state $13.3 billion in health care bills.

Other key findings for California include:

• California will spend $58.9 million this year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 16.9 percent of the $347.9 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
• California will collect $1.6 billion this year from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes but will spend only 3.8 percent of the money on tobacco prevention programs.
• Tobacco companies spend $583.4 million per year to market their products in California – 10 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

Today's report, titled "Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 16 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.

The report assesses whether the states kept their promise to use a significant portion of their settlement funds – estimated to total $246 billion over the first 25 years – to fight tobacco use. The states also collect billions of dollars more each year from tobacco taxes.

California has long been a leader in the fight against tobacco, but the state has fallen behind in implementing proven strategies. In addition to falling short in funding tobacco prevention, California has not increased its cigarette tax since 1999 and now has the 33^rd lowest state tax at 87 cents per pack, compared to the state average of $1.54 per pack. Health advocates recently launched a campaign to increase California's cigarette tax by $2 per pack.

"California's progress against tobacco is in jeopardy unless the state significantly increases its tobacco tax and restores funding for programs to reduce tobacco use," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.  "California showed the nation and the world that tobacco prevention and cessation programs work to reduce smoking, save lives and save money.  But California is now sacrificing the health of its children and costing taxpayers money by refusing to properly fund these life-saving programs."

Nationally, the report finds that:

• Most states fail to adequately fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The states will collect $25.6 billion this year from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes but will spend only 1.9 percent of it ($490.4 million) on tobacco prevention programs.
• States are falling woefully short of the CDC's recommended funding levels for tobacco prevention programs. Altogether, the states budgeted just 14.8 percent of the $3.3 billion the CDC recommends. Only two states – Alaska and North Dakota – are funding tobacco prevention programs at CDC-recommended levels.

Evidence shows tobacco prevention and cessation programs work to reduce smoking, save lives and save money. One study found that during the first 10 years of its tobacco prevention program, the state of Washington saved more than $5 in tobacco-related hospitalization costs for every $1 spent on the program.

Tobacco use is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people and costing the nation at least $289 billion in health care bills and lost productivity each year.

The full report and state-specific information can be found at www.tobaccofreekids.org/statereport.

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SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Related Links

http://www.tobaccofreekids.org