Vermont ranks 11th in protecting kids from tobacco

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
November 30, 2011 Dan Cronin/Ashley Rockhold, 202-296-5469
Tina Zuk, 802-288-8305, 802-578-3466
National Report: Vermont Ranks 11th in Protecting Kids from Tobacco
Vermont Coalition Calls on Legislature to Maintain Funding for Critical Program

Washington, DC (November 30, 2011) – Vermont ranks 11th 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.

Vermont currently spends $3.3 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is 32 percent of the $10.4 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Other key findings for Vermont include:

• Vermont this year will collect $108 million in revenue from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 3.1 percent of it on tobacco prevention programs. This means Vermont is spending just 3 cents of every dollar in tobacco revenue to fight tobacco use.
• Since 2009, Vermont has cut funding for tobacco prevention by 37 percent, from $5.2 million to $3.3 million.
• The tobacco companies spend $19 million a year to market their products in Vermont. This is 5 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

The annual report on states’ funding of tobacco prevention programs, “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, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights.

Vermont has been a leader in the fight against tobacco with a high cigarette tax ($2.62 per pack) and a strong smoke-free workplace law. However, the large cut in tobacco prevention funding has put the state’s progress at risk. Vermont dropped from 9th in the ranking to 11th this year.

“Vermont has been a real leader in fighting tobacco use, but has taken a big step backward by cutting funding for its tobacco prevention program,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “To continue making progress, Vermont should restore funding for tobacco prevention. 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.”

“Vermont has had over ten years of success in reducing adult and youth smoking rates. In order to continue this success the state must make a long-term investment in preventing kids from starting to smoke and helping smokers quit,” said Director of Health Promotion and Public Policy for the American Lung Association in Vermont Rebecca Ryan.

American Heart Association Government Relations Director Tina Zuk said it is this adequate investment in the program that will save lives and dollars. “With the previous investment Vermont has made in its Tobacco Control Program, the youth smoking rate dropped from 18% in 2009 to 13% in 2011. Adult smoking rates also dropped from 17.6% to 15%. But that doesn’t mean there is no more work to be done. Each year in Vermont, 700 more kids become regular smokers, tobacco 800 lives and costs the state $233 million in health care bills.”

The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont noted that Vermont has been able to make a huge impact on youth smoking rates partially due to media and public education efforts. That funding was cut dramatically last year and further cuts could cause youth smoking rates to rise again.

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.