Tobacco Control News
- Smoking Cessation Coverage Now Available for All Medicare Patients
- Lights Out for Light Cigarettes
- A World Without Tobacco
- Most states falling short on tobacco policies
- This Mother’s Day, Help Your Mom Go Smokefree
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Virginia State Facts
- Economic Costs Due to Smoking:
- $4,737,271,000
- Adult Prevalence:
- 16.4%
- High School Smoking Rate:
- 15.5%
- Middle School Smoking Rate:
- 4.6%
- Smoking Attributable Deaths:
- 9,241
- Smoking Attributable Lung Cancer Deaths:
- 3,136
- Smoking Attributable Respiratory Disease Deaths:
- 2,348
Adult smoking rate is taken from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2008 Prevalence Data. High school and middle school smoking rates are taken from the 2007 Virginia Youth Tobacco Survey.
Health impact information is taken from the Smoking Attributable Mortality, Morbidity and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) software. Smoking attributable deaths reflect average annual estimates for the period 2000-2004 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. They do not take into account deaths from burns or secondhand smoke. Respiratory diseases include pneumonia, influenza, bronchitis, emphysema and chronic airway obstruction. The estimated economic impact of smoking is based on smoking-attributable health care expenditures in 2004 and the average annual productivity losses for the period 2000-2004.
Virginia
Behind the Scenes
The American Lung Association in Virginia remains a leader in Virginia on tobacco control issues. We continue to advocate for smokefree workplaces, excise tax increases on tobacco products and increased funding for tobacco cessation and prevention programs. As an active steering committee member of Virginians for a Healthy Future, a statewide tobacco control coalition, we have ensured tobacco control remains a priority for our policy makers.In the previous two years, comprehensive smokefree legislation passed the state Senate, but was killed without a recorded vote in a House of Delegates subcommittee. During the 2009 legislative session, the House majority leader made a surprise move by agreeing with the governor to a compromise bill that addressed smoking in restaurants. This law, restricting smoking in restaurants as of December 1, 2009, allows for restaurants to accommodate smokers in smoking rooms that have separate ventilation. Although the Lung Association was against this measure, we recognize and hope that most restaurants will choose to go completely smokefree as a result.
In 2009, the Lung Association with coalition partners fought to increase the state excise tax on cigarettes by 89 cents to bring it to the national average at the time. Coalition efforts included a new statewide poll and a press conference to highlight the benefits of such a tax increase. New partners were found in the race to raise more revenue for health care, but ultimately the tax increase was defeated.
Continued funding of tobacco control programs from the state's allocation of Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) dollars is an annual battle with finance committees. In a tight budget year, we were pleased that legislators did not cut funding, but we remain committed to raising the portion of MSA dollars appropriated for cessation and prevention programs beyond the current amount of 10 percent of the annual settlement dollars, or about $13.5 million per year.
The Virginia Department of Health requested that the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation change its name to the Virginia Healthy Youth Foundation and take on obesity prevention as part of its overall mission. During the 2009 session, this was proposed and passed into law. The Lung Association led the fight against this change and will fight next year to protect tobacco prevention and cessation dollars from being siphoned off to obesity prevention programs.
In preparing for 2010, the Lung Association along with Virginians for a Healthy Future will continue to lead the grassroots efforts on improving our state's tobacco control policies. We are planning a Lobby Day at the Capitol for 2010, building on last year's success of quadrupling volunteer participation.
