Slashing anti-tobacco programs will cost money, lives

The North Carolina legislature is poised to dramatically reduce and probably eventually eliminate the state’s nationally recognized tobacco use prevention and cessation program. Over the last nine years, this program, currently funded with $17 million annually from the state tobacco settlement funds(more information), has achieved dramatic results. High school smoking rates have dropped to historic lows, from 27 percent to 15 percent, and adult smoking rates have decreased from 25 percent to 20 percent.

As a result of the program, approximately 60,000 youth are not smoking today, and 255,450 fewer youth alive today will grow up to be addicted adult smokers. The youth prevention efforts alone have saved billions of dollars. On the college level, the program has resulted in 49 campuses with some-free or tobacco-free policies, protecting 238,000 college students and 27,000 employees on campuses from secondhand smoke. The North Carolina smoking cessation quitline has resulted in more than 100,000 calls and thousands of new ex-smokers, many of whom are uninsured and low income, from every North Carolina county.

Investment in prevention has clearly saved lives and money. Behind all the programs has been the TRU, or Tobacco.Reality.Unfiltered media campaign. Using the true health stories of real North Carolinians, this campaign has received recognition across the U.S. for its effectiveness in telling stories that resonate with youth and adults. Recognized by more than 70 percent of all North Carolinians, the TRU campaign has now become part of the national anti-smoking campaign promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite this progress, the House decided to slash the tobacco prevention and cessation program by cutting funds from $17.3 million to $5.4 million, to prevent any of the funds from being spent on the TRU campaign, spent on the quitline or the college program, arguably the three most effective program components. Moreover, these are for non-recurring funds -- a one time allocation.

Right now, the effective infrastructure will be completely eliminated, with agencies laying people off June 30 because there is no funding. A new program will need to be started -- just for one year. The state must create a new process to apply for funding, which will take months, and such funding ends again on June 30, 2013. With so many restrictions, it is primed to not succeed. Such a decision will benefit only one group in the state: the tobacco industry. No one else has anything to gain from such an arrangement. Arguably it will harm youth, young adults and adults of all ages and in all counties in the state. This decision, if upheld in the Senate without changes, will result in stalling progress, and likely worse, increases in youth smoking rates and more than $185 million more in future health care costs compared to current progress.

As youth, community advocates, hospital administrators, business professionals, nurses, teachers, dentists, physicians, citizens and workers of all persuasions, we should encourage the Senate to make changes that increase the tobacco fund back to the current amount, to promote the effective programs, and to continue making North Carolina a national leader in the 21st century for saving money and saving lives. This was the intent of the tobacco settlement, and it is up to North Carolina citizens and the legislature to honor this intent. Read more: The Herald-Sun - Slashing anti tobacco programs will cost money lives