Colorado's Tobacco Control Report Card Grades Mixed, Fight to Clean Indoor Air Successful
January 13, 2009 (DENVER)—The American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2008 report was released today with mixed grades for Colorado. Colorado’s tobacco control policies earned mixed grades with cessation coverage receiving an “F”, a “D” for tobacco prevention and control spending, and a “D” for cigarette tax. On a brighter note, Colorado did receive an “A” in the category of smoke-free air.
State of Tobacco Control 2008 grades states and the District of Columbia on smoke-free air laws; cigarette taxes, tobacco prevention and control program funding; and coverage of cessation treatments and services.
“Colorado’s leaders have made some strong decisions when it comes to improving Colorado’s clean indoor air as evidenced by the passage of the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act in 2006 and the smoke-free casinos bill in 2007,” stated Cindy Liverance, Vice President of Programs for the American Lung Association of Colorado. “We need to increase the cigarette tax and make sure that everyone, including those who rely on Medicaid coverage, has access to essential cessation resources.”
In 2005, voters passed a $0.64 per pack increase tobacco products, moving Colorado from the second lowest in the country to a more average cost of $0.84 per pack. Since 2005, other states have passed aggressive tobacco tax increases. States with tobacco tax rates of $2.38 or higher received an “A” while states with tobacco tax rates lower than $0.59 were given an “F.” Liverance added, “Studies show that raising the tobacco tax greatly reduces the number of young people who start to smoke.”
Tobacco cessation coverage can save lives when tobacco cessation treatments are covered through Medicaid and state employee health plans or private insurance. According to a 2006 review in The American Journal of Preventative Medicine, smoking cessation treatment ranks in the top three preventative services for clinical results and cost effectiveness. Comprehensive cessation benefits include a combination of group and individual counseling in addition to access to all seven pharmacotherapies recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “While Colorado received an “F” for cessation coverage, dialog is occurring at the state level to address this issue and we predict a higher grade next year,” said Curt Huber, Executive Director of the American Lung Association of Colorado.
Tobacco-related illness remains the number-one preventable cause of death in the U.S. and is responsible for an estimated 4,390 deaths in Colorado each year. Tobacco-related illness claims close to 393,000 American lives every year and cost our nation $193 billion annually. Almost 50,000 additional deaths are due to secondhand smoke exposure. The U.S. Surgeon General has declared that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.
“We call on Colorado legislators to continue the efforts to lessen the impact of tobacco use in our state. In particular, we need to focus on issues relating to youth access to tobacco products, and work with state and local partners to address “loopholes” in the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act,” said Liverance. “The goal is to clarify and revise state law to make it clear to all Coloradans that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke and the social and economic costs of tobacco use on the state is a burden we can no longer afford to bear.”
About the American Lung Association of Colorado
For over 100 years, the American Lung Association of Colorado has been a leading organization in the state working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease rates continue to increase while other leading causes of death have declined.
The American Lung Association of Colorado funds vital research on the causes and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association of Colorado is “Improving Life, One Breath at a Time.” For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA or log on to www.lungcolorado.org.
