How You Can Help Hold Big Tobacco Accountable
Nearly 20 years ago, a U.S. Federal District judge found that the major cigarette manufacturers violated civil racketeering laws for deliberately defrauding the public.
News
Breaking: NY cuts have dramatically reduced calls to Quitline
March 11, 2013
Cuts to tobacco control have dramatically reduced calls to New York's "Quitline"
PDF version of this report: New York Quitline Cuts [104 KB PDF]
New York's ongoing reductions in funding for tobacco control are hurting the effort to curb smoking. Over the past few years, New York has slashed its funding of tobacco control by over 50%. The bulk of those cuts have occurred in the state's public health media campaign. One of the important audiences of the media effort is to target those who wish to quit their deadly addiction. According to the 2011 Quitline report, the media budget cuts particularly impacted New Yorkers with the greatest needs: those on Medicaid or uninsured, less educated, older, heavier smokers, and many dealing with chronic illnesses.
As seen below, each county has seen dramatic reductions in calls to the Quitline. The state average drop off has been 40%. It is indefensible to cut funding for this important lifeline to those who are addicted. New York State should be boosting support for tobacco control, not cutting it.
New York State Quitline Usage from 2009 to 2012
|
County |
2009 # of Individual Users of the Quitline |
2012 # of Individual Users of the Quitline |
% Drop from 2009 to 2012 |
|
Albany |
2,682 |
1,265 |
53% |
|
Allegany |
522 |
258 |
51% |
|
Bronx |
7,429 |
5,692 |
23% |
|
Broome |
2,313 |
1,099 |
52% |
|
Cattaraugus |
1,016 |
492 |
52% |
|
Cayuga |
933 |
464 |
50% |
|
Chautauqua |
1,627 |
743 |
54% |
|
Chemung |
1,259 |
646 |
49% |
|
Chenango |
700 |
333 |
52% |
|
Clinton |
850 |
448 |
47% |
|
Columbia |
693 |
292 |
58% |
|
Cortland |
489 |
213 |
56% |
|
Delaware |
591 |
286 |
52% |
|
Dutchess |
2,486 |
1,507 |
39% |
|
Erie |
10,659 |
4,934 |
54% |
|
Essex |
290 |
141 |
51% |
|
Franklin |
454 |
415 |
9% |
|
Fulton |
848 |
330 |
61% |
|
Genesee |
571 |
280 |
51% |
|
Greene |
760 |
376 |
51% |
|
Hamilton |
34 |
23 |
32% |
|
Herkimer |
921 |
358 |
61% |
|
Jefferson |
863 |
577 |
33% |
|
Kings |
11,812 |
8,782 |
26% |
|
Lewis |
146 |
72 |
51% |
|
Livingston |
543 |
376 |
31% |
|
Madison |
858 |
386 |
55% |
|
Monroe |
5,548 |
2,920 |
47% |
|
Montgomery |
834 |
299 |
64% |
|
Nassau |
6,281 |
3,713 |
41% |
|
New York |
7,544 |
5,868 |
22% |
|
Niagara |
2,914 |
1,427 |
51% |
|
Oneida |
3,016 |
1,367 |
55% |
|
Onondaga |
4,523 |
2,317 |
49% |
|
Ontario |
910 |
437 |
52% |
|
Orange |
2,512 |
1,549 |
38% |
|
Orleans |
374 |
294 |
21% |
|
Oswego |
1,603 |
722 |
55% |
|
Otsego |
672 |
337 |
50% |
|
Putnam |
784 |
415 |
47% |
|
Queens |
10,800 |
8,469 |
22% |
|
Rensselaer |
1,703 |
852 |
50% |
|
Richmond |
4,521 |
3,705 |
18% |
|
Rockland |
1,163 |
741 |
36% |
|
St. Lawrence |
858 |
677 |
21% |
|
Saratoga |
1,908 |
915 |
52% |
|
Schenectady |
1,784 |
866 |
51% |
|
Schoharie |
389 |
146 |
62% |
|
Schuyler |
236 |
105 |
56% |
|
Seneca |
349 |
185 |
47% |
|
Steuben |
1,124 |
513 |
54% |
|
Suffolk |
10,689 |
6,296 |
41% |
|
Sullivan |
1,010 |
564 |
44% |
|
Tioga |
484 |
269 |
44% |
|
Tompkins |
681 |
305 |
55% |
|
Ulster |
1,920 |
1,046 |
46% |
|
Warren |
778 |
402 |
48% |
|
Washington |
780 |
484 |
38% |
|
Wayne |
871 |
439 |
50% |
|
Westchester |
3,635 |
2,307 |
37% |
|
Wyoming |
427 |
292 |
32% |
|
Yates |
180 |
87 |
52% |
|
Total |
136,154 |
82,118 |
40% |
###
Related Updates
