States Need To Spend More Time To Help Smokers Quit

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Article Date: 14 Dec 2007 - 4:00 PDT

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"At a time when a growing number of states and communities are going smoke-free, states are still not doing enough to help smokers quit. While the annual report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids clearly finds that more money was spent by states on tobacco prevention and cessation programs this year, only three states - Maine, Delaware and Colorado - are fully funding these programs at CDC-recommended minimum levels.

"Tobacco use is still the number one preventable cause of death in the U.S., killing 440,000 Americans each year - more than AIDS, alcohol, motor-vehicle collisions, homicides, suicides, illicit drugs and fires combined. Adding to this tragedy, more than 1,000 kids become regular smokers each day.

"Thanks to smoke-free laws, more smokers are interested in quitting, but states need to be prepared to help by providing resources such as tobacco quit lines and educational programs. By spending more on tobacco prevention and cessation programs, states have the ability to save lives and stop new smokers before they start."

The full report, A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement Nine Years Later, is online at http://tobaccofreekids.org. The report was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society.

American Medical Association

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