District Eliminates Local Tobacco Control Funding

The District of Columbia came in dead last, ranking 50th place in a newly released national report that ranks and examines the level of funding that states across the country are investing in tobacco prevention and cessation programs. Specifically, the District has allocated $0.0 dollars to be spent on key tobacco control programs during Fiscal Year 2012, eliminating local funding and exhibiting a $569,000 dollar decrease from FY2011. The elimination of local funding means that the District's tobacco control program will operate on a mere $839,640 dollars given by the federal government and is a stark contrast to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spending recommendation of $10.5 million dollars. Additionally, it is important to note that DC is investing no state funding despite receiving approximately $75 million in tobacco-generated revenue each year. 

On a national level, states across the country will collect $25.6 billion in revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend only 1.8 percent of it--$456.7 million--on programs to prevent kids from smoking and help smokers quit. Current funding is the lowest since 1999, when states first received tobacco settlement payments.

The District of Columbia is falling woefully short of the recommended funding levels for tobacco prevention programs set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are currently 3,300 high school students in the District who smoke and more than 74,000 adults. Adequately funding key tobacco prevention programs is essential to combat this addiction that takes the lives of 720 Washingtonians every year.

Learn more: A Broken Promise to Our Children: The 1998 Tobacco Settlement 13 Years Later