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9/15/14 Statement by ACS CAN on Rise in NYC Smoking Rates
September 15, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 15, 2014
Contact:
Kathleen O’Neill, [email protected]; 518.545.5045
Kevin O’Flaherty, [email protected]; 646.919.0469
Meredith Coon, [email protected]; 212-878-5947 or 216-548-0603
Marc Kaplan, [email protected]; 518-796-1038
Rise in NYC Smoking Rate Shows NY Must Act Swiftly
Number of Smokers Returns to Over 1 Million
Statement by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids
New York, NY - In response to today’s release of the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene’s Community Healthy Survey, showing that smoking prevalence increased to 16.1 percent in 2013 from a low of 14 percent in 2010, public health groups including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, American Lung Association of the Northeast and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids issued the following statement:
Today’s announcement that smoking rates have increased in New York City despite the City’s tireless efforts to curtail tobacco use, signals the critical need for New York to go back to basics, and shore up the comprehensive tobacco control program that has time and again been proven to drive down smoking rates and save lives. New York City’s comprehensive tobacco control program has been lauded for its effectiveness, but budget cuts over the years have clearly had a damaging effect.
Comprehensive tobacco control efforts must include three elements to be effective. These evidence based strategies include a high tobacco tax, ample funding for tobacco control programs at the CDC-recommended level, and strong smoke-free air laws.
While we can applaud New York for its history of leadership in combating tobacco, this backslide in smoking rates is a clear signal that it is time for our elected officials to step up and recommit themselves to finally ending the tobacco epidemic. Our government leaders must ensure that the tobacco control programs at the state and city are funded at adequate levels. Both programs have seen considerable cuts over the last seven years, in fact, the state’s program has seen its budget cut by more than 50 percent, and the city has seen a loss of 36 percent.
Despite the progress we’ve had in reducing smoking rates over the last several decades, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease. We urge New York lawmakers to address this trend so we can quickly reverse course, saving more people from unnecessary suffering and even death.
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