Reducing Cancer and Strengthening Tobacco Control

Tobacco Prevention and Control Program –With an investment of only 3.4% of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends, Washington ranks 41^st in the nation when it comes to adequately funding tobacco prevention and control programs. ACS CAN supports increasing funding for the Youth Tobacco and Vapor Product Prevention Program by $9.6M, which is only 15% of the CDC recommended amount. Increasing funding for this program would help our state address the significant health disparities that exist regarding tobacco use among communities of color, low-income populations and the LGBTQ community in Washington.

Ending the Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products, Including E-cigarettes and Menthol Cigarettes – Flavored tobacco products including e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes are attracting a new generation of youth to deadly and cancer-causing tobacco addiction. In 2019, the CDC concluded that 31.2% of high schoolers currently use tobacco products and highlighted the availability of flavored tobacco products as a primary factor. ACS CAN supports ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products including but not limited to e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and smokeless tobacco.

Protecting the Clean Indoor Air Law – The U.S. Surgeon General has declared there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and exemptions for cigar bars or other tobacco retailers would take away the workplace protections that the people of Washington put into place in 2005 with the passage of Washington’s Clean Indoor Air Law. ACS CAN will oppose all measures to weaken the state’s clean indoor air law.