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Div. of Media Relations
1600 Clifton Road
MS D-14
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-3286
Fax (404) 639-7394 |
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Press Release
For Immediate Release
September 18, 2003 |
Contact: CDC Office on
Smoking and Health
770-488-5493 |
New Study Shows State Tobacco Control Programs
Cut Cigarette Sales
A landmark new study finds that cigarette sales dropped more than twice
as much in states that spend more on comprehensive tobacco control programs
than in the United States as a whole. Between 1990 and 2000, sales fell an
average of 43 percent in four key states with large program expenditures –
Arizona, California, Massachusetts, and Oregon – compared with 20 percent
for all states. Program funding levels accounted for a substantial portion
of this difference, with increasing expenditures producing bigger and faster
declines in sales.
The study is the first analysis to include cigarette sales data from all
states and to isolate the impact of tobacco control program expenditures by
controlling for changes in cigarette excise taxes, cross-border cigarette
sales, and other state-specific factors. It appears in the September 2003
Journal of Health Economics and was conducted by researchers at Research
Triangle Institute (RTI), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), and the University of Illinois-Chicago.
“Although we’ve seen improvements in preventing and controlling tobacco
use, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in
our nation, said CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. “This study provides our
clearest evidence to date that tobacco control programs are an excellent
investment in public health.”
Tobacco-attributable disease accounts for 440,000 deaths per year in the
United States and remains the leading cause of preventable death and
disease. Tobacco use accounts for more than $150 billion annually in direct
and indirect medical costs, and at least 8.6 million Americans are living
with at least one serious illness caused by tobacco use.
Previous research has suggested that cigarette excise taxes lead to the
largest and most immediate decline in cigarette sales, but that this effect
erodes over time. While the new study confirms the strong effect of tax
increases, it clearly shows that investments in tobacco control programs
also have a strong effect that appears to grow as programs continue to
dedicate resources to curbing tobacco use.
“It appears that sustained, well-funded programs become increasingly
efficient over time,” said RTI’s Dr. Matthew Farrelly, lead author of the
study. “As states build core capacity for tobacco control, they make better
and better use of each additional dollar.”
As outlined in CDC’s Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control
Programs, effective state-based programs generally include some or all
of the following components: community and school programs and policies,
counter-marketing campaigns, cessation programs including telephone
quitlines, program monitoring and evaluation, and staffing and management.
Currently, the overall average per capita funding for tobacco control is
$1.22, far below CDC’s minimum recommended level of $5.98.
"States received unprecedented funds from the 1998 Master Settlement
Agreement, but in many states these funds have been used for competing
needs," said Dr. Terry Pechacek, CDC's lead scientist for the study. "These
new data show that robust tobacco control programs prevent and reduce
tobacco use and protect people from exposure to secondhand smoke."
For a copy of the article, “The Impact of Tobacco Control Program
Expenditures on Aggregate Cigarette Sales: 1981-2000,” email
tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov or call
CDC, Office on Smoking and Health, at 770-488-5493.
# # #
CDC protects people's health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by
providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and
international organizations.
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