CT and NY receive mixed grades in new ‘State of Tobacco Control’ report
Connecticut and New York received mixed grades for their smoking prevention efforts from the American Lung Association in the 2021 edition of its annual “State of Tobacco Control” report.
Connecticut was graded “F” for tobacco prevention and cessation funding, a “C” for its commitment to encouraging smoke-free air, a “B” for tobacco taxes, a “C” for encouraging access to cessation services and a “F” for prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products.
“Connecticut is one of only two states in the nation that provides no state funding at all for tobacco prevention programs, severely hampering the state”™s ability to respond to the youth vaping epidemic and tobacco use disparities,” said Ruth Canovi, the Connecticut director of advocacy for the American Lung Association.
“To make matters worse, the state receives $473 million from tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes yet puts no state dollars towards preventing youth tobacco addiction. The federal funds that the state receives for tobacco prevention and cessation is equivalent to just 3.6% of what the CDC recommends we spend for a quality program.”
New York was graded “F” for tobacco prevention and cessation funding, an “A” for its commitment to encouraging smoke-free air, a “B” for tobacco taxes, a “B” for encouraging access to cessation services and a “D” for prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products.
“In New York state, our high school tobacco use rates remain at 19.3%,” said American Lung Association”™s National Assistant Vice President for State Public Policy Michael Seilback.
“The state took an important step last year in removing flavored e-cigarettes from shelves, but without including menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, it”™s not enough to end the surge in youth tobacco use. Kids follow the flavors and ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products in New York is key to ending the youth e-cigarette epidemic and youth tobacco use overall.”
The American Lung Association also graded federal efforts related to tobacco product sales and usage, with Washington receiving a “D” for its regulation of tobacco products, a “D” for federal coverage of quit smoking treatments, and “F” on the level of federal tobacco taxes, an “A” on its use of mass media campaigns to prevent and reduce tobacco use, and an “A” for maintaining the federal minimum age of sale for tobacco products at 21.