N.H. Again Graded ''F'' for Tobacco Prevention

Source from:  Seacoastonline.com 01/29/2014

The state is not doing nearly enough with tobacco control and prevention. This is what a panel of experts from the American Lung Association of the Northeast said in its State of Tobacco 2014 Report.

Grades released Jan. 22 detail progress on key tobacco control policies at the federal and state level, and show how New Hampshire's grades poorly reflect the strength of its laws in protecting citizens from the burden caused by tobacco use. The Granite State again received an F for not providing any state dollars for tobacco prevention control and spending.

"New Hampshire's report card on tobacco control has, sadly, not changed over the years, and, once again, it shows we still need improvement," said Guy Sylvester, chairman of the leadership board for the American Lung Association in New Hampshire.

The good news is the state has taken the first step to improve the lack of funding by approving $250,000 for fiscal year 2014 and FY15 to help fund the tobacco helpline.

"New Hampshire must invest in the vital resources to keep young people from starting to smoke and provide smokers the tools they desperately need to quit," Sylvester said in a statement after the grades were released. "In addition, our cigarette tax lags behind all other states in the Northeast and, as a result, our smoking rates are higher than national averages."

On the 50th anniversary of the Surgeon General's warning that cigarettes cause lung cancer and related diseases, the 2014 Surgeon General's report found that almost 500,000 lives are lost each year in this country due to tobacco.

Tobacco causes an estimated 1,764 deaths in New Hampshire annually and costs the state's economy $800 million in health care costs.

Priorities that must be addressed to improve New Hampshire's grades include expanding funding to state tobacco prevention and control programs including tobacco treatment programs, increasing the cigarette tax and taxing all tobacco products at equal rates.

"Meanwhile, 'Big Tobacco' continues to rob our health and wealth with clever new tactics for young smokers," Sylvester said.

The report states that the three largest cigarette manufacturers - Altria, Reynolds American and Lorillard - continued their aggressive expansion into other tobacco products in 2013. They marketed to America's youth with products such as smokeless tobacco, cigars and e-cigarettes.

The full report from the American Lung Association of the Northeast can be found at www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org. Enditem