Despite years of warnings, smoking still has draw

Most states get failing grades for smoking prevention efforts despite receiving millions of tobacco settlement dollars, says a new report.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. Feb. 16, 2004.

Washington -- Forty years after the first surgeon general's report exposed the dangers of smoking, there are still 47 million American smokers and no shortage of finger-pointing as to why.

A recent American Lung Assn. report charged that few states are making serious efforts to control tobacco use. The report calls for more comprehensive state prevention and education programs and the passage and enforcement of additional clean air laws.

"This report highlights that tough laws save lives and protect our children," said John K. Kirkwood, CEO and president of the lung association. "How many more preventable deaths must occur and how many more children must become addicted to cigarettes before we say enough?"

The group's report meted out "F's" to 38 states and the District of Columbia for their failure to adequately fund tobacco prevention and control programs; to 35 states and the District of Columbia for failing to pass smoke-free air laws; to 13 states for insufficient tobacco taxes; and to 23 for inadequate laws to limit access by young people to tobacco.

But there was some good news. The lung association gave "A's" to 15 states in at least one of its four categories. Five -- California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine and Rhode Island -- received A's in two categories and New York received three A's.

These ratings come five years after a master settlement agreement between major tobacco companies and 46 state attorneys general. The agreement called for the tobacco industry to pay the states more than $200 billion over 25 years to recover health costs lost to illnesses caused by smoking. The four remaining states settled their tobacco lawsuits independently for a total of $40 billion over 25 years.