• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / Health / Medicine / Report: Iowa should spend more to stop people from smoking

Report: Iowa should spend more to stop people from smoking

December 15, 2016 By Matt Kelley

An annual report from a coalition of health care groups claims Iowa is shortchanging programs to help prevent people from taking up smoking and to help smokers quit.

John Schachter, spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, says the Centers for Disease Control recommends Iowa spend about $30 million a year on such programs, but falls far short.

“Iowa is spending $5.2 million dollars on tobacco prevention which is only 17% of what the CDC recommends,” Schachter says. “That puts Iowa right in the middle of the pack, ranking 24th.” Nationwide, tobacco companies spend more than nine-billion dollars a year to market their products, which doesn’t include another $100 million to market e-cigarettes. By underfunding prevention and cessation programs, Schachter says Iowa is missing a golden opportunity to save lives and cut tobacco-related health care costs.

“What’s most distressing is that Iowa receives over $300 million in tobacco revenue from the state’s settlement with the tobacco companies as well as state tobacco taxes,” Schachter says. “You’re seeing the state spend less than 2% of their revenue on prevention programs and that’s just a recipe for disaster.” Studies have found Iowa could save five-dollars in tobacco-related medical costs for every dollar spent on tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

“In Iowa, the youth smoking rate is incredibly high,” Schachter says. “It’s still over 18% and that’s a problem because that’s way above average. We’re seeing over 1,500 kids starting smoking every year in Iowa and over 5,000 people dying because of smoking-related illnesses.” Iowa’s cigarette tax is a dollar-36 per pack, which is 33-cents below the national average. The cigarette tax in some states, like New York, is over four dollars a pack.

“The single best way to bring down smoking, especially among youth, is to increase a state’s tobacco tax,” Schachter says. “When the price of tobacco and cigarettes go up, youth use especially comes down. We know it will work. It brings down youth use, it raises revenue and it saves health care costs, so it’s a win-win-win for everyone involved.”

Of all cancer deaths in Iowa, nearly 28 percent of them are attributable to smoking. Schachter says tobacco use is the number-one cause of preventable death in Iowa and nationwide.

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Health / Medicine, News

Featured Stories

Grundy Center man sentenced to life for killing State Trooper

Jodi Husientruit remembered 27 years after she disappeared

Iowa Supreme Court rules in Mahaska-Marion County regional airport dispute

Pheasant harvest and hunter numbers both up this year

Iowa Supreme Court overturns ruling creating constitutional abortion right

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 6/27/22

AJ Green signs with Milwaukee

Iowa to host Georgia Tech in ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Iowa State adds a defensive back

Radio Iowa/Baseball Coaches Association High School Poll 6/20/22

More Sports

eNews and Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Archives

Copyright © 2022 ยท Learfield News & Ag, LLC