Connecticut is tied for last nationwide in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a report released today by a coalition of public health organizations.
The report, titled “Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 18 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, Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights and Truth Initiative.
Connecticut is one of two states, along with New Jersey, that have not budgeted state funds this year for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, according to a news release from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends Connecticut spend $32 million on tobacco prevention programs, the release said. Health advocates also are urging Connecticut leaders to increase the state’s tobacco sale age to 21.
The report challenges states to do more to fight tobacco use – the nation’s No. 1 cause of preventable death – and help make the next generation tobacco-free.
In Connecticut, 10.3 percent of high school students smoke, and 1,500 kids become regular smokers each year. Tobacco use claims 4,900 Connecticut lives and costs the state $2 billion in healthcare bills annually, the release said.
Other findings in the report include:
– Connecticut will collect $519.7 million in revenue this year from the 1998 state tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend none of it on tobacco prevention programs.
– The state’s history of underfunding tobacco-prevention programs has worsened recently, with funding dropping from $6 million in fiscal year 2013 to $1.2 million in fiscal 2016 and to zero this year.
– Tobacco companies spend more than $73 million each year to market their products in Connecticut.
With the second highest state tobacco tax ($3.90), Connecticut has taken strong steps to reduce tobacco use; however, by eliminating funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, the state risks losing the gains it has made, the release said. In addition to increasing funding for tobacco prevention, health advocates are urging Connecticut leaders to increase the state’s tobacco sale age to 21.
Nationwide, the U.S. has cut smoking rates to record lows – 15.1 percent among adults and 10.8 percent among high school students in 2015. If recent progress in reducing adult smoking continues, the U.S. could eliminate smoking by around 2035, the release said, citing a recent analysis in The New England Journal of Medicine.
