The annual report on U.S. tobacco control efforts released by the American Lung Association gave federal efforts intended to curb smoking failing grades. The Lung Association was dissatisfied with the way the Bush administration, Congress and various state governments handled the situation.
“The tobacco companies continue to be a significant barrier to the enactment of strong and effective tobacco control policies at the state and federal level,” according to the report, entitled “State Tobacco Control 2008.”
Despite the fact that studies showed that public bans on smoking improved the overall health of people, no states rated solid As for their efforts to curb smoking.
According to the report, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island got the best grades. Alaska and Delaware received top marks for funding tobacco control programs at 80 percent or more of the levels recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report noticed that Massachusetts and New York were the only states to raise cigarette excise taxes in 2008, with New York having the nation’s highest cigarette tax at $2.75 per pack. Colorado and 13 other states were given D's because their taxes ranged from 60 cents to $1.19 a pack. The American Lung Association considers that cigarette taxes overall are still too low.
A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown a possible link between no-smoking laws and reductions in heart attack rates. Researchers studied the effects of smoke-free ordinances implemented in Pueblo, Colorado, in 2003. The law banned smoking in the workplace and in public spaces. The number of people hospitalized for heart attacks dropped significantly after the implementation of the smoking ban. In the 18 months prior to the ban, there were 400 heart attacks; after the ban the number dropped to 237.
Studies also emphasize this interesting phenomenon: state tobacco control policies appear to have an influence on the number of cancer related deaths. For example, a recent report found lung cancer death rates among women increased in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, the Carolinas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, South Dakota and Tennessee. One thing that all these states have in common is the fact that tobacco taxes are lower than average.
160,000 Americans die each year of lung cancer, according to statistics released by the association. Nearly 390,000 Americans a year die of all tobacco-related causes, including such diseases like emphysema. This unhealthy habit increases the risk of many other cancers in women, including breast, oral, pharynx, larynx, esophageal, pancreatic, kidney, bladder, uterine, and cervical cancers. Studies have found that people who smoke more than 20 cigarettes a day develop Alzheimer’s disease six to seven years earlier than those who don’t smoke.
