National report ranks Kentucky 41st in protecting kids from tobacco

Nov 24th, 2008

Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, Kentucky ranks 41^st in the nation in funding programs to protect kids from tobacco, according to a national report released November 18 by a coalition of public health organizations.

Kentucky currently spends $3.7 million a year on tobacco prevention programs, which is 6.5 percent of the $57.2 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Other key findings for Kentucky include:

The tobacco companies spend more than $535 million a year on marketing in Kentucky. This is almost 145 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

Kentucky this year will collect $294 million from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 2 percent of it on tobacco prevention.

The annual report on states’ funding of tobacco prevention programs, titled “A Decade of Broken Promises,” was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“Kentucky is one of the most disappointing states when it comes to funding programs to protect kids from tobacco,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “On this 10^th anniversary of the tobacco settlement, we call on Kentucky’s leaders to raise the state cigarette tax and use some of the revenue to increase funding for tobacco prevention. Tobacco prevention is a smart investment that reduces smoking, saves lives and saves money by reducing tobacco-related health care costs.”

Kentucky’s current cigarette tax of 30 cents per pack is 47^th in the nation and well below the national average of $1.19 per pack. Scientific studies have found that increasing cigarette prices is one of the most effective ways to prevent kids from smoking and encourage smokers to quit.

Read the full report here.

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