North Carolina ranks 22nd in protecting kids from tobacco

WASHINGTON (NEWS RELEASE FROM CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO-FREE KIDS) – North Carolina ranks 22nd 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.

North Carolina currently spends $18.3 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 17.1 percent of the $106.8 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other key findings for North Carolina include:

North Carolina this year will collect $423 million from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 4.3 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs.

The tobacco companies spend $535.9 million a year to market their products in North Carolina. This is 29 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 12 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.

North Carolina took a big step forward this year to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke by implementing a strong, statewide smoke-free workplace law. However, North Carolina is falling short in funding tobacco prevention programs and also has a cigarette tax of only 45 cents per pack, which ranks 45th in the nation and is well below the national average of $1.45 per pack.

“North Carolina’s new smoke-free law is an historic victory for health and the public’s right to breathe clean air. However, if North Carolina is to continue reducing tobacco use, it is critical that state leaders raise the tobacco tax and use some of the revenue to increase funding for tobacco prevention,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Even in these difficult budget times, tobacco prevention is a smart investment that saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs.”

In North Carolina, 16.7 percent of high school students smoke, and 11,900 more kids become regular smokers every year. Each year, tobacco claims 12,200 lives and costs the state $2.5 billion in health care bills.

Nationally, the report finds that most states are failing to adequately fund programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. 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 $25.3 billion from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just two percent of it – $517.9 million – on tobacco prevention programs.
States have cut funding for tobacco prevention programs by nine percent ($51.4 million) in the past year and by 28 percent ($199.3 million) in the past three 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 20.6 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.