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AHA: State lawmakers need to do more for tobacco prevention
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State lawmakers have not lived up to their promises to fund and enact more vigorous tobacco prevention programs, according to a statement released by American Heart Association CEO Nancy A. Brown.
The statement referred to results from a new report on the status of the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement suggesting that despite an influx of tobacco-generated revenue intended for use in smoking prevention programs, many state governments have not implemented or funded promised plans.
In addition, the statement said that 34 states and the District of Columbia had actually cut funding for tobacco prevention programs. Only one state — North Dakota — was funding tobacco prevention programs at the level recommended by the CDC, according to the statement.
“State lawmakers have more than enough resources to make a huge difference in their communities,” Brown said in the statement. “Now they must back their promises with real and immediate results.”
Brown said that proven tobacco control policies have reduced MI “hospitalizations and other chronic illnesses in states that implement these measures.” She also suggested that current regulations and tobacco taxes do not go far enough to help smokers quit.
“The battle against tobacco must be fought on several fronts,” Brown said. “Although we’re making progress with smoke-free workplace laws, higher tobacco excise taxes and the enactment of federal legislation to regulate the tobacco industry, we must do more to give smokers the tools and resources they need to kick this deadly habit.”