President Obama Statement on passage of FDA tobacco regulation bill.

 

Smoke Free Vehicle Law (Act 13) Poll Report

Arkansas Slips but Still a National

Leader in Tobacco Control

 

Arkansas slipped a notch in the national ranking to number 6 and remains one of top states for spending tobacco settlement money for tobacco prevention. It spent $15.6 million for tobacco control work which is 87.1% of the Center for Disease Control [CDC] recommended minimum. One of the goals being discussed for the upcoming legislative session is to raise this to 100% of CDC recommendation.

 

Arkansas is bordered by the worst states in this category. Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi. Mississippi, long a national leader and one of the few states that met the CDC’s recommendation, has fallen to near the bottom because Governor Haley Barbour, a former tobacco lobbyist, has worked relentlessly to eliminate funding for the program.

 

Nationally, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids seems some improvement but says much needs to be improved. It said in a national news release, “This year, we find that while the states have modestly increased total funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, the vast majority of states are still failing to keep the promise of the tobacco settlement and falling far short of funding such programs at even minimum levels recommended by the CDC.”