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New Report Finds New Jersey Last in Nation in Tobacco Control and Prevention
December 8, 2015
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Name: Marc Kaplan
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Cell: (518) 796-1038
Email: [email protected]
New Report Finds New Jersey Last in Nation in Tobacco Control and Prevention
TRENTON, NJ --December 8, 2015--A new report released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and several public health partners once again points out that New Jersey is last in the country in spending on tobacco control and prevention.
The report, issued jointly by ACS CAN, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights and Truth Initiative, is an annual state by state report which looks at how states are spending money received from the 1998 tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and billions in revenue generated by tobacco taxes.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends that New Jersey allocate over $103 million for tobacco control and prevention. The report, Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 17 Years Later, finds that of the $25.8billion states will collect from tobacco settlement funds and tobacco taxes 1.8 percent or $468 million – will be spent on tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The report shows that only one state, North Dakota, funds their tobacco prevention and cessation program at levels recommended by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It would take less than 13 percent of total state tobacco revenues for states to meet these recommended funding levels.
Put simply: New Jersey is missing a tremendous opportunity to save lives and health care dollars by shortchanging proven programs to prevent kids from using tobacco and help those addicted to quit.
“The Broken Promises report once again points out that New Jersey is the only state that does not allocate one state penny for this crucial program, despite collecting approximately $750 million dollars in cigarette taxes annually. This is shameful when we know that these programs save lives and money,” said Ethan Hasbrouck, ACS CAN New Jersey government relations director.
“As the report indicates, funding for the state’s Tobacco Control Program is crucial as a component of a comprehensive approach to help people quit tobacco and prevent youth from ever picking up this deadly addiction. In addition to regular and significant increases in the price of tobacco products through excise taxes and laws that protect everyone’s right to breathe smoke-free air, a fully funded tobacco prevention and cessation program is critical to cutting tobacco use in New Jersey, and thus saving lives.
“One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in New Jersey and roughly one third of those cancer deaths will be due to tobacco. ACS CAN is asking for Governor Christie’s and the legislature’s help to dramatically reduce these numbers by allocating funds to a comprehensive tobacco control program including prevention and cessation programs,” continued Hasbrouck.
To protect vulnerable people from the unscrupulous tactics of the tobacco industry, lawmakers across the country must prioritize fully funding tobacco cessation and prevention programs, in addition to passing comprehensive smoke-free laws and significantly increasing tobacco taxes.
Tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable death in our country, and continues to be responsible for one-third of all cancer deaths. In New Jersey, tobacco is responsible for 11,800 deaths each year. State legislatures cannot ignore their role in this public health epidemic.
About ACS CAN
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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