Antismoking Report Card: Maine on Top
American Lung Association Also Praises New York City's Antismoking Efforts
Jan. 10, 2008 -- Maine gets the nation's best grades on a national report card of states' antismoking efforts released by the American Lung Association.
The state earned high marks for enacting a workplace smoking ban similar to other bans taking hold in many states across the country. Maine also has among the nation's highest cigarette excise taxes at $2 per pack. It is also the first state to prohibit the sale of certain types of flavored cigarettes and cigars.
American Lung Association officials also had praise for New York City, which has passed a series of antismoking measures, including a workplace ban, high tobacco taxes, and public quit-smoking programs.
"They have a strong political will and they also have a smart game plan," says American Lung Association President Bernadette Toomey.
Toomey says high school smoking rates dropped from 18% in 2001 to 9% today, a trend she attributed to high cigarette taxes and tough antismoking laws.
A report last year by the Institute of Medicine concluded that up to 4% fewer adults and 7% fewer kids start smoking for every 10% increase in tobacco prices.
"These percentages translate to lives and to dollars saved," Toomey says.
The national average state tobacco tax is $1.11 per pack, while the federal government tacks on an additional $0.63. New Jersey has the highest excise tax in the nation at $2.575 per pack; South Carolina, a major tobacco-producing state, charges only 7 cents per pack, the nation's lowest.
Twenty-five states charge $1 or more in taxes for each pack of cigarettes, according to the report. Twenty-one states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have enacted workplace smoking bans designed to curb use and guard employees from secondhand smoke.
South Carolina and several other states, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia, all got straight "F's" in the report for low taxes, no workplace bans, and for failing to spend adequate state funds on stop-smoking programs.
U.S. smoking rates fell steadily over the last two decades but have stalled in recent years, according to data from the CDC. About one-fifth of U.S. adults still smoke.
And smoking is still America's No. 1 preventable cause of death, killing an estimated 438,000 people per year by promoting heart disease, lung disease, and many cancers.
Antismoking Report Card: Maine on Top
American Lung Association Also Praises New York City's Antismoking Efforts
Jan. 10, 2008 -- Maine gets the nation's best grades on a national report card of states' antismoking efforts released by the American Lung Association.
The state earned high marks for enacting a workplace smoking ban similar to other bans taking hold in many states across the country. Maine also has among the nation's highest cigarette excise taxes at $2 per pack. It is also the first state to prohibit the sale of certain types of flavored cigarettes and cigars.
American Lung Association officials also had praise for New York City, which has passed a series of antismoking measures, including a workplace ban, high tobacco taxes, and public quit-smoking programs.
"They have a strong political will and they also have a smart game plan," says American Lung Association President Bernadette Toomey.
Toomey says high school smoking rates dropped from 18% in 2001 to 9% today, a trend she attributed to high cigarette taxes and tough antismoking laws.
A report last year by the Institute of Medicine concluded that up to 4% fewer adults and 7% fewer kids start smoking for every 10% increase in tobacco prices.
"These percentages translate to lives and to dollars saved," Toomey says.
Tobacco Tax Varies by State
The national average state tobacco tax is $1.11 per pack, while the federal government tacks on an additional $0.63. New Jersey has the highest excise tax in the nation at $2.575 per pack; South Carolina, a major tobacco-producing state, charges only 7 cents per pack, the nation's lowest.
Twenty-five states charge $1 or more in taxes for each pack of cigarettes, according to the report. Twenty-one states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have enacted workplace smoking bans designed to curb use and guard employees from secondhand smoke.
South Carolina and several other states, including North Carolina, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Virginia, all got straight "F's" in the report for low taxes, no workplace bans, and for failing to spend adequate state funds on stop-smoking programs.
U.S. smoking rates fell steadily over the last two decades but have stalled in recent years, according to data from the CDC. About one-fifth of U.S. adults still smoke.
And smoking is still America's No. 1 preventable cause of death, killing an estimated 438,000 people per year by promoting heart disease, lung disease, and many cancers.