Tobacco Control Program should be a high priority
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Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death in New York State, costing us $8.17 billion in health care costs and $6.05 billion in lost productivity each year.
The New York State Tobacco Control Program has successfully worked to help save lives and reduce these costs, but there remains much more work to be done. More than 2.5 million adults and 150,000 high school students in New York State are still smoking, many of whom want to quit.
In 2009, the state took in $1.33 billion in revenue from tobacco taxes, but it spent only $55 million per year on tobacco prevention. This amount represents an investment of only $2.83 per person while the Centers for Disease Control recommends that a minimum of $254.3 million be spent on tobacco prevention in New York State, which is about $13.05 per person.
State leaders should make it a top priority to not only ensure that there are no future cuts to the tobacco prevention program, but also to look at new ways to adequately fund the program based on CDC recommendations. In this way, our leaders can really have an impact in preventing kids from smoking and in helping smokers to quit.
Joseph Huber
Williamsville
Published: February 09, 2010, 12:30 am