Tobacco Prevention Money Going Up in Smoke

Since the landmark 1998 State Tobacco Settlement, the combined U.S. states have collected $79.2 billion from the settlement along with $124.3 billion from tobacco taxes – a combined $203.5 billion in tobacco-generated revenue – but have allocated only $6.5 billion on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

This year, reports Tobacco Free Kids, not a single state is funding tobacco prevention programs at CDC-recommended levels, with only 9 states funding programs at even one-half the levels recommended by CDC.

"Ten years after the state tobacco settlement, we are at a crossroads in the fight against tobacco use and its devastating consequences," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in a press release. "If Congress and the states show the political will to implement proven solutions, we will win one of the most significant public health victories in our nation’s history. If they fail to do so, it will be a tragic missed opportunity for the nation’s health.”

This revelation comes on the heels of news from CDC that, while only 20 percent of U.S. adults are still smoking, smoking remains the nation's number one killer.

Photo from Getty Images

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