Tobacco Programs Don't Make Grade

ALA Says New York Does Best At Prevention, 38 States Fail

(CBS/AP)  Most states have failed to pay for tobacco-prevention programs and protect people from second-hand smoke despite receiving billions of dollars in settlement money to take such measures, according to a report.

The American Lung Association's report, released Tuesday, gave 38 states grades of F for failing to fund tobacco prevention and control programs. Thirty-five states received F's for their smoke-free air laws.

"We didn't really have any shining stars in the whole country," American Lung Association spokeswoman Sara Cox told CBS News Correspondent Jim Krasula. "There's no one who really got straight A's."

The annual report also found that 23 states received failing marks because of their inability to keep tobacco out of the hands of minors.

"How many more preventable deaths must occur and how many more children must become addicted to cigarettes before we say enough?" ALA chief executive John L. Kirkwood said.

The report said there were some bright spots. Fifteen states received grades of A in at least one of the four categories, and five states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine and Rhode Island — got A's in two categories.

"Some of the states that we would typically see doing great things with tobacco control are New York and California, northeastern and western states, and all of those states have done quite well in this report card."

New York was the only state to receive A's in as many as three areas.

"We estimate that 440,000 people die every year in this country from tobacco-related illness," said Cox, "and it's costing the country $75 billion in medical costs and then $82 billion in lost productivity."

The ALA based its grades for the prevention category on a list of comprehensive tobacco control programs recommended by the Center for Disease Control. States that spent 90 percent or more of the CDC's minimum $35 million amount received A's, but states like Massachusetts, which spent less than 59 percent of that amount, received an F.

"There were certainly reductions in non-core programs this past year because of the fiscal crisis, and while things are improving, we aren't out of the woods yet," said Dick Powers, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The ALA's Paul G. Billings said Massachusetts was once a model state for its willingness to budget for anti-smoking programs.

"Unfortunately, we've continued to see cuts in a number of states this past year and certainly states' fiscal problems have influenced those cuts. But what's remarkable, I think, is a number of states have continued to fund these programs," Billings said.

"The smoke-free ban is a largely important public health initiative that will do more to curb smoking, and its ill effects than we ever could have accomplished through a government spending program," Powers said.

Hawaii received the top grade for its tobacco prevention program for the state's commitment to spend $9.75 million to curb smoking. The state received a D grade for that category last year.

"We are fortunate to live in Hawaii with its great air quality and to have a lower than average number of smokers," said Malcolm Koga, president of the American Lung Association of Hawaii.

The state's $1.30-per-pack cigarette tax placed Hawaii near the top. The tax is set to rise to $1.40 per pack on June 30, and the lung association noted that Hawaii has raised the cigarette tax three years in a row.

At 5 cents per pack, cigarette taxes in North Carolina are among the nation's lowest. Last year, the state House rejected a Senate proposal to raise cigarette taxes by 25 cents per pack.

North Carolina was one of six states that received an F in all four categories of the report released Tuesday. The others were Alabama, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana and South Carolina.