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Ariz.'s use of tobacco monies criticized

The American Lung Association issues its national report card, giving the state grades of F in smoke-free air, D in antismoking spending and C in youth access.

DAVID PITTMAN
Tucson Citizen
Jan. 7, 2003

The American Lung Association is criticizing Arizona and other states for using tobacco settlement money to cover budget deficits instead of antismoking programs.

In a national report card released today, the association graded states' performance in four areas:

Limiting youth access to tobacco
Providing smoke-free air
Funding antismoking programs
Pushing cigarette taxes higher

Arizona scored poorly in three categories, earning grades of F in smoke-free air, D in spending for antismoking efforts, and C in limiting youth access.

The one bright spot in the report for Arizona: The state received a B grade for its cigarette excise tax.

Arizona voters in November approved an initiative to raise the state's cigarette excise tax from 60 cents to $1.18 per pack.

The average state cigarette tax in 2002 was 62 cents per pack.

"This report should be a wake-up call to the Legislature and local lawmakers," said Bill J. Pfeifer, president and chief executive officer of the American Lung Association of Arizona.

"Our smoke-free air laws are weak and last year the Legislature raided the tobacco education and prevention program funded by the tobacco tax to help balance the budget."

But Joan Henneberry, director of health policy for the National Governors Association, said states are under unprecedented fiscal pressure, much of it brought on by skyrocketing health-care costs.

"States are in such a bad financial position now, if they don't tap into other sources, they're going to have to cut benefits and eligibility in Medicaid," she told The Associated Press. "That doesn't help with antismoking efforts either."

Arizona was not alone in garnering criticism from the American Lung Association, as failing grades were the norm rather than the exception.

For instance, F's were given to 43 states and the District of Columbia, in smoke-free air laws; 32 states and Washington, D.C., in tobacco program funding; 17 states, in cigarette taxes; and 28 states, in laws limiting youth access to tobacco.

Arizona's award-winning tobacco prevention and cessation program suffered a setback when the Legislature raided tobacco tax funds in 2001 to help balance the state budget.

According to the report, the cuts virtually shut down the state program, which had helped to decrease smoking in Arizona by 21 percent.

The state's tobacco prevention and control spending for 2003 is slated to be about $18.5 million, which falls far short of the state spending minimum of $27.8 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pfeifer said had the report card come out before the Legislature's raid on the tobacco education program, the state probably would have earned a B grade in spending on tobacco prevention.

But Norman Kjono, a spokesman for Forces International, a group that supports smokers' rights, said the American Lung Association is simply "arguing for their own pocketbooks" in suggesting that tobacco settlement money should go to antismoking programs.

"They want the money spent on themselves and their programs, rather than other public uses," he said.

The Lung Association report says Arizona's efforts toward smoke-free air are considered "frail," though it noted that Tucson has passed a ban on smoking in restaurants.

Kjono said business owners should be allowed to establish their own policies regarding smoking without interference from government. He also argued that cigarette taxes are unfair.

"It is discriminatory taxation," he said.

Arizona was graded C in the report for preventing youth access to tobacco.

The report was critical of the state for not requiring graduated penalties or fines on retailers who sell tobacco products to minors and for not making the free distribution of cigarettes illegal.

"We shouldn't settle for weak tobacco control measures," said Pfeifer. "We know that strong tobacco control laws save lives."