Tobacco control program is proving to be effective and fiscally sound

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Letter to the Editor
Daily Gazette

In response to the Jan. 13 Gazette editorial, “Anti-smoking effort won’t die for lack of funds”: New York state can survive with spending less on tobacco control efforts, but it will be a very short-term survival. The Gazette stated in their editorial that smoking costs New York state in excess of $8 billion in health care. They failed to mention that $5.4 billion of that is covered by the state’s Medicaid program. Doesn’t it make more sense to prevent youth from smoking and help current smokers quit today, rather than to have taxpayers shell out money for preventable, costly illnesses in the future?

New York state smoking rates have dropped 28 percent since 2001 to a current, all-time low rate of 16.7 percent, but contrary to what the Gazette has stated, we do know why that has happened. It is because New York state has spent its Tobacco Control Program (TCP) dollars wisely. They have invested in proven strategies that will directly affect the smoking rate; an effective, comprehensive media campaign that is tied to a well-funded, statewide Smokers Quitline; implementation of the third highest cigarette tax in the country, which has been proven to decrease youth smoking initiation and decrease adult smoking rates; and the implementation of strong indoor and outdoor smoke free policies.

Even with all the successes that the TCP has achieved on a budget that is far below the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendation of $254 million, the smoking rate for the 18-24 years old in the greater Capital Region is still over 26 percent. This is directly related to the $1.2 million that the tobacco industry spends on a daily basis in New York state to advertise and promote their deadly product.

So we can continue to cut the TCP, a state program that has already received an over 20 percent cut in the past fiscal year, and this will save money today. But this cut in funding will ultimately lead to an increase in the state smoking rate. That increase is not just a percentage; it is someone’s son or daughter who begins a deadly addiction, or someone’s mother, father or loved one who must battle lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and all the other diseases that smoking causes.

Judy Rightmyer

Albany

The writer is director of the Capital District Tobacco-Free Coalition.