Le Lézard
Classified in: Health
Subjects: CHI, SVY

National Report: Washington, D.C., Ranks 33rd in Protecting Kids from Tobacco


WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Washington, D.C., ranks 33rd nationwide in funding programs that prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit, according to a report released today by leading public health organizations. The District is spending $931,585 this year on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which is just 8.7 percent of the $10.7 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids logo. (PRNewsFoto/Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids)

The report challenges states to do more to fight tobacco use ? the nation's leading cause of preventable death ? and make the next generation tobacco-free. In the District, 12.5 percent of high school students smoke, and 100 kids become regular smokers each year. Tobacco use claims 800 D.C lives and costs the District $391 million in health care bills annually.

Other key findings in the report include:

The report ? "Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 19 Years Later" ? was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights and Truth Initiative.

To reduce smoking in the nation's capital, health advocates are urging the Council to increase the cigarette tax by $2 per pack. Part of the revenue would be earmarked for the District's tobacco prevention and cessation programs, which are currently drastically underfunded, and to implement the law passed last year raising the tobacco age to 21.

"By failing to adequately fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs, Washington, D.C., is putting kids' health at risk and costing taxpayers more in tobacco-related health care costs," said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "We can win the fight against tobacco and make the next generation tobacco-free, but the District needs to do its part to help us achieve these goals. We strongly urge the Council to raise the District's cigarette tax."

The U.S. has reduced smoking to record lows ? 15.1 percent among adults and 8 percent among high school students. But tobacco use still kills more than 480,000 Americans and costs the nation about $170 billion in health care bills each year.

Today's report also highlights large disparities in who smokes and who suffers from tobacco-related diseases in the United States. Smoking rates are especially high in a swath of 12 states in the Midwest and South, an area called "Tobacco Nation" in a recent Truth Initiative report. Nationwide, smoking rates are highest among people who live below the poverty level and have less education, American Indians/Alaska Natives, LGBT Americans, those who are uninsured or on Medicaid, and those with mental illness. These differences are in large part due to the tobacco industry's targeting of vulnerable populations through advertising, price discounting and other marketing strategies.

By funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs at the CDC's recommended levels, states can reduce tobacco use among all Americans. But most states are falling far short:

The report and state-specific information can be found at tfk.org/statereport.

 

SOURCE Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids


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