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New Report from Public Health Leaders Underscores Importance of Effective Tobacco Prevention Programs
12/9/2009
Statement by Cheryl G. Healton, Dr PH, President and CEO, Legacy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today’s release of a major report, “A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 11 Years Later,” underscores the continued need to keep funding for tobacco control programs high on the public health agenda.
LegacySM applauds the efforts of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in bringing to light the cuts in funding for state programs to reduce tobacco use. The report found that despite two sources of revenue -- funding provided through the Master Settlement Agreement and funding from taxes placed on tobacco -- states are spending just 2.3 percent of revenue from tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes on tobacco prevention and cessation programs. In the wake of a recent CDC report showing a halt in the decline of adult smoking rates from the previous year, today’s findings underscore the need for comprehensive programs that keep people from smoking and help smokers quit to continue – to not only save states money down the road but to, critically, ensure a healthier population for years to come. Reducing funding for effective state programs that can keep people from taking up a costly addiction may save money initially, but states will pay a high cost down the road in treating sick smokers, loss of workplace productivity, and the dire social cost to our families and communities who watch loved ones sickened by tobacco-related disease or grappling with an addiction.
Legacy recognizes the challenges many states are facing fiscally, and the dedicated work of so many of our tobacco control colleagues working at the state and local levels. Legacy will continue to work with the states and be a supportive partner, particularly through such programs as:
- The truth® youth smoking prevention campaign. Developed in 2000, research has shown the campaign is directly responsible for keeping more than 450,000 teens from starting to smoke during the initial phase of the campaign. Further research has found the campaign saved society an estimated $1.9 to $5.4 billion in medical care costs.
- In addition, through the National Alliance for Tobacco Cessation (NATC), Legacy spearheaded a collaborative effort of state and national public health groups to create and execute the national quit smoking campaign, EX. The campaign provides evidence-based tools to help smokers quit, including information that can help them prepare for a quit attempt by “re-learning” how to quit effectively using tools, resources and social support in combination.
LegacySM is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the national public health organization helps American live longer, healthier lives. Legacy develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation’s programs include truth®, a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as having contributed to significant declines in youth smoking; EX®, an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; and research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Visit www.legacyforhealth.org.
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Contact: Julia Cartwright, 202-454-5596, jcartwright@legacyforhealth.org