Tobacco Use Prevention and Control
Adult smoking rate is taken from CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2008 Prevalence Data. High school smoking rate is taken from the 2007 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System. Middle school smoking rate is taken from the 2006 Youth Tobacco Survey. Illinois State Facts
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.
The American Lung Association in Illinois continues to lead statewide clean indoor air and tobacco control efforts. Together with our partners and coalition members we worked to keep tobacco issues as a legislative priority during the latest session.
The American Lung Association in Illinois continues to lead statewide clean indoor air and tobacco control efforts. Together with our partners and coalition members we worked to keep tobacco issues as a legislative priority during the latest session.
During the 2009 legislative session, the Illinois Senate passed a $1.00 per pack cigarette tax increase, but the bill stalled in the Illinois House of Representatives. In the midst of thousands of state layoffs and cutbacks, the Lung Association was successful in maintaining funding for statewide tobacco prevention and cessation efforts while most of the state budget saw at least 50 percent reductions. We continue to fight for the tax increase in 2010.On January 1, 2010 Illinois celebrated the two-year anniversary of the Smoke Free Illinois Act, one of the strongest smokefree laws in the country. It requires all workplaces, restaurants, bars, private clubs and casinos/gaming venues to be smokefree.
The American Lung Association in Illinois led efforts to pass a bill to license tobacco retailers. The Illinois Department of Revenue estimates that cigarette tax evasion by Illinois tobacco retailers costs at least $90 million annually. A bill to license retailers and increase inspections of retail establishments created much friction in the Illinois legislature and had extremely strong opposition. Lack of current inspections allows retailers to sell to minors and to cheaply sell counterfeit or smuggled cigarettes from military bases, Native American reservations, countries or states with lower tax rates.
In 2010, the American Lung Association in Illinois will continue working to overcome great opposition to increasing excise taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products and will pursue efforts that were stalled during the 2009 session to license vendors/retailers to sell tobacco products.
For more information visit: www.stateoftobaccocontrol.org
