The American Lung Association’s 13th annual State of Tobacco Control Report is now available. The report grades the federal government, all 50 states, and the District of Columbia on key tobacco control policies, and their efforts to meet three goals:
- Reduce smoking rates to less than 10% by 2024 (currently at 18%);
- Protect all Americans from secondhand smoke by 2019; and
- Ultimately eliminate the death and disease caused by tobacco use.
The report examines prevention and cessation funding and programs; smokefree laws; tobacco taxes; and implementation of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. Grades in the report reflect programs and regulations in effect as of Jan. 2, 2015.
Report findings indicate that in 2014, little to no progress was made at the state and federal level, though there were a few bright spots: some local-level smokefree legislation was in development when the report went to press; FDA released a proposal to assert its authority over all tobacco products; and FDA launched a new youth prevention public information campaign.
Tobacco prevention and cessation resources:
