Pennsylvania is doing a poor job in the fight against tobacco use, according to a new report.
On Wednesday, the American Lung Association released its 21st annual State of Tobacco Control report. The report evaluates state and federal policies aimed at eliminating and reducing tobacco use, providing states with grades in several different categories.
Pennsylvania received mostly failing grades in the 2023 report, with the association calling the state one of the worst in the country when it comes to policies that prevent and reduce tobacco use.
“Pennsylvania lags behind when it comes to tobacco control policies, and as a result we have higher than average adult smoking rates at 14.4%, and 26.7% of high school students use a tobacco product,” Deborah Brown, chief mission officer at the American Lung Association, said in a statement accompanying the report. “This gives us an important opportunity to improve the health of our state through proven policies, such as preserving state funding for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs and closing the loopholes in the state’s Clean Indoor Act.”
While Pennsylvania’s performance is poor, it’s not at the bottom of the rankings. The report shows the worst four states to be Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas.
The top four performers were the District of Columbia, California, Maine and Massachusetts.
The report says that improving Pennsylvania’s performance is critical, claiming that more than 22,000 state residents die each year due to preventable disease caused by tobacco use. The report also says Pennsylvanians incur annual health care costs of nearly $6.4 billion related to tobacco use.
The report issues grades in five categories. Pennsylvania received grades of F in three of those categories and grades of D in the other two.
Tobacco prevention and control program funding
Grade: F
Pennsylvania falls far short in its funding of tobacco prevention and quit-smoking programs, the report says.
The state will spend just over $15.5 million in fiscal year 2023 for those efforts. Added to just under $2.3 million in federal funding, the state’s total funding for those programs is just under $18 million.
But according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pennsylvania should be spending $140 million. That means the state is only spending 12.8% of the recommended amount.
The state’s low spending is despite Pennsylvania receiving just under $1.6 billion in revenue from tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes.
Smoke-free air
Grade: D
The report urges Pennsylvania legislators to address loopholes in the Clean Indoor Act, including prohibiting smoking inside casinos.
The report also points out that the state does not have a provision banning smoking inside bars and does not include e-cigarettes in its indoor smoking bans.
Tobacco taxes
Grade: F
The report says one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, particularly among low-income individuals and youth, is to significantly increase taxes on all tobacco products.
Studies have shown that every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by about 4% among adults and 7% among youth.
Pennsylvania failed in its taxation of tobacco products.
The report says the state hasn’t increased its tobacco tax since 2016. It should increase its tax by about $1 per pack.
The state’s current tax is about $2.60 per pack of 20 cigarettes, the report says.
Access to cessation services
Grade: D
The report says only some counseling is covered under the state’s Medicaid program.
For state employee health plans, few cessation medications are covered, only minimal counseling is covered and some barriers exist to accessing care.
The state’s tobacco “quitline” service only invests $1.57 per smoker, far below the national median of $2.37.
Cessation services is the only category where Pennsylvania saw improvement in the report, having received a failing grade in last year’s edition.
Flavored tobacco products
Grade: F
The state has no law or regulation on flavored tobacco products.
American Lung Association
The American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy and research.
The work of the American Lung Association is focused on four strategic goals: to defeat lung cancer; to champion clean air for all; to improve the quality of life for those with lung disease and their families; and to create a tobacco-free future.
For more information about the American Lung Association and its annual State of Tobacco Control report visit lung.org.
