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NJ ranks among nation's worst in anti-smoking efforts
November 30, 2011
New Report Shows Garden State at the Bottom of List when it comes to Funding Tobacco Prevention Programs
(November 30, 2011)- New Jersey is considered one of the worst states when it comes to tobacco control, a new report shows the Garden State ranks 43rd in the nation in funding programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit.
"A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement 13 Years Later," released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights.
The state currently spends $1.2 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is only one percent of the amount recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the past five years New Jersey has raised $5 billion in tobacco revenues yet only 0.8 percent have been spent on tobacco control programs. To be clear, not even a full penny of every dollar raised by tobacco taxes goes to help people quit smoking.
"New Jersey will pay a high price with more children and teenagers smoking, more lives lost to tobacco and higher smoke-related health care costs, said Blair Horner, Vice President for Advocacy, American Cancer Society of NY & NJ. "By failing to meet the CDC's expert recommendation for the state's tobacco control funding, New Jersey is once again one of the worst states for protecting our kids from tobacco."
The groups are asking New Jersey to spend about a dime of every dollar of revenue from tobacco sales on tobacco control. At this moment, the state's Quitline only allows smokers who are uninsured or covered by Medicaid to use smoking cessation services. "The state has a moral obligation to ensure these programs are adequately funded", said Horner.
Tobacco use takes a terrible toll on New Jersey. Currently 17 percent of high school students in New Jersey smoke, and 9,700 more kids become regular smokers each year. This year more than 11,000 New Jerseyans will die from smoking-related diseases. In addition tobacco use costs the state an estimated $3.2 billion in health care bills.
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