State Support for Programs to Decrease Tobacco Use Among Teens and Adults on the Decline According to Trend Report Rele...( American Lung Association Calls U...),Health

American Lung Association Calls Upon Lawmakers to Reinvigorate their Commitment to Tobacco Control by Joining the Smokefree 2010 Challenge

WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Despite 46 states and the District of Columbia receiving an estimated $1 billion in additional funds this April from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, a new report from the American Lung Association finds fewer states are implementing policy initiatives to reduce tobacco use than in recent years. The 2008 mid-term update to the American Lung Association's State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues or SLATI report, uncovered a pattern of decreased and flat funding for state tobacco control programs.

Smoking cessation counseling, support groups, hotlines and advertising campaigns are among the many elements of state sponsored tobacco control programs that work to prevent teens and young adults from using tobacco products and provide smokers with the tools and support needed to quit. Other state measures that help to prevent and reduce tobacco use include higher tobacco taxes and strong smokefree air laws.

Earlier this year, the state of Ohio virtually eliminated its successful tobacco control programs when funding earmarked by the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement was diverted to other state programs. Previously, Ohio's tobacco control initiatives had demonstrated a continued decline in smoking rates in the state, especially among youth.

"It's utterly disappointing to see states like Ohio let down its residents by tossing out programs that have been proven to prevent tobacco use and ultimately the health consequences associated with it, said Bernadette A. Toomey, President and CEO of the American Lung Association. "When states are committed to tobacco control programs, residents reap the positive health rewards. That is why the American Lung Association is leading the way to make every state smokefree by 2010."

"States must urgently re
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