Wyoming State Highlights Select a different state
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Wyoming. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Wyoming's elected officials:
- Increase tobacco taxes by a $1.00 or more per pack;
- Maintain funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs; and
- Pass additional local or state legislation eliminating smoking in public places and workplaces.
Funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs also took a reduction in the fiscal year 2019 and 2020 two-year budget with about a $1.4 million reduction over the two years or $700,000 each year. Funding that previously came from the state general fund was redirected to suicide prevention.
Wyoming's cigarette tax remains one of the lowest in the nation at $0.60 per pack. The American Lung Association in Wyoming will continue working with partners to support increases in tobacco taxes and additional appropriations for tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The Lung Association will also support any efforts to pass local or statewide smokefree workplace laws in Wyoming
Wyoming Facts
Economic Cost Due to Smoking: | $257,674,019 |
Adult Smoking Rate: | 18.70% |
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: | 28.10% |
High School Smoking Rate: | 15.70% |
High School Tobacco Use Rate: | 38.40% |
Middle School Smoking Rate: | 5.40% |
Smoking Attributable Deaths: | 800 |
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. High school smoking and tobacco use data come from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Middle school smoking rate is taken from the Wyoming 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.
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 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable health care expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal health care expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.
To Get Involved, Contact:
Wisconsin State Highlights Select a different state
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Wisconsin. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Wisconsin's elected officials:
- Protect and increase funding for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program;
- Equalize the tax on little cigars (brown cigarettes) with regular cigarettes; and
- Pass legislation that places ALL tobacco products behind the counter or in a locked cabinet.
Even more disappointing, Senate Bill 307/Assembly Bill 225, which would have required all tobacco products to be placed behind the counter or in a locked cabinet, did not pass. The bill had strong, bi-partisan co-sponsorship in both house and overwhelming support from numerous statewide health organizations. After a hearing before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Small Business, and Tourism, it was passed 9-0 and moved to the Senate floor where it passed on a voice vote. The Assembly Committee on State Affairs also held a public hearing where numerous individuals testified in support and none against, but then stalled. Subsequently, the bill did not advance before the end of the session.
Work continued on the local level with several major e-cigarette victories in 2018. The City of Milwaukee passed an ordinance that prohibits the use of e-cigarettes anywhere that smoking isn't allowed. That city was joined by the cities of Oak Creek, Beaver Dam, Neenah and Grant County. Other communities, such as Appleton and Juneau made advances in clean outdoor air by passing laws limiting the use of cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other tobacco products in parks and recreational areas.
Due to the skyrocketing rise in e-cigarette and other tobacco products use, particularly flavored products, Wisconsin has created an awareness campaign aimed at parents, Tobacco is Changing, with a tagline that says, "Tobacco is Changing, parents. We've got to keep up." The campaign includes paid advertising and on-line videos, social media and a website that familiarizes parents and adults with the new products and the issues surrounding them, provides opportunities to take action, and connects viewers with resources available through the state Tobacco Prevention and Control Program.
While the American Lung Association in Wisconsin will continue to work with local tobacco control coalitions to strengthen community tobacco control ordinances, the most sweeping progress is still made at the state level. The Lung Association will continue to focus on passing legislation that requires that ALL tobacco sales be clerk assisted, create tax parity between cigarettes and little cigars and advocate to increase funding for the state Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. The Lung Association hopes that new governor Tony Evers and the legislature can work together to make positive advancements in tobacco control in 2019
Wisconsin Facts
Economic Cost Due to Smoking: | $2,663,227,988 |
Adult Smoking Rate: | 16.00% |
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: | 20.90% |
High School Smoking Rate: | 7.80% |
High School Tobacco Use Rate: | 17.30% |
Middle School Smoking Rate: | 1.30% |
Smoking Attributable Deaths: | 7,850 |
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. High school smoking and tobacco use rates are taken from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Middle school smoking rate is taken from the 2016 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 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable health care expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal health care expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.
To Get Involved, Contact:
West Virginia State Highlights Select a different state
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in West Virginia. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by West Virginia's elected officials:
- Restoration of West Virginia state funding for tobacco prevention and cessation;
- Protect smokefree air regulations as they currently exist throughout the state; and
- Increase the age of sale for all tobacco products to 21.
The Senate Finance Committee Chairman announced, while discussing the Senate budget in committee, that an agreement had been reached and that no amendments to the budget would be offered, and in return, he would support future funding be restored for tobacco control.
A bill introduced by Senator Stollings, to increase the age of sale for tobacco products to 21, stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the House, a bill was similarly introduced by Representative Rowe to raise the legal age of sale for tobacco products to 21 but failed to move forward in the House Health and Human Resources Committee.
The Board of Health in Hancock County took a deeply disappointing action in 2018 amending its Clean Indoor Air regulation to allow smoking at casinos and gaming sections of local video lottery cafes. This will once again expose thousands of workers and patrons to toxic secondhand smoke. The Lung Association discourages other counties from following Hancock's bad example.
New leadership and direction from the Coalition for Tobacco Free West Virginia (CTFWV) has placed an emphasis on the need for shared information, collaboration throughout the state, and building local support.
The Lung Association is working on bi-partisan sponsorship of a Tobacco 21 bill to introduce during the 2019 legislative session. Findings from a representative survey of over 3,000 West Virginian voters who voted in the 2016 election indicate that almost two thirds (63.2%) favor raising the legal sales age for tobacco products from 18 to 21. Additionally, the survey found that the majority of both Democrats and Republicans support Tobacco 21. Only about 1 in 7 West Virginia voters strongly oppose raising the legal sales age for tobacco products.
The American Lung Association in West Virginia will continue to educate lawmakers in the ongoing fight against tobacco. Our goal is to identify champions within the legislator and continue to build a strong state coalition to advance our advocacy goals, including restoration of West Virginia state funding for tobacco prevention and cessation, protection of smokefree indoor air regulations, and increasing the age of sale for all tobacco products to 21
West Virginia Facts
Economic Cost Due to Smoking: | $1,008,474,499 |
Adult Smoking Rate: | 26.00% |
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: | 35.00% |
High School Smoking Rate: | 10.30% |
High School Tobacco Use Rate: | 26.60% |
Middle School Smoking Rate: | 4.50% |
Smoking Attributable Deaths: | 4,280 |
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. High school and middle school smoking rates are taken from the 2017 Youth Tobacco Survey. High school tobacco use rate is taken from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.
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 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable health care expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal health care expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.
To Get Involved, Contact:
Washington State Highlights Select a different state
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Washington. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Washington's elected officials:
- Increase funding for tobacco prevention and cessations programs;
- Raise the sales age to 21 for tobacco products; and
- Defend smokefree workplace laws.
During the 2017 legislative session, House Bill 1054 had passed out of both the House Committee on Health Care and Wellness and the House Finance Committee. At the beginning of the 2018 regular session, by resolution, the legislation was retained in the Rules Committee, and referred to the Finance committee, where it was again passed out of the committee. On March 7, 2018, the bill was debated on the House Floor with very passionate floor speeches on tobacco and the effect tobacco has had on members' families and friends. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support with 63 yes votes and 35 no votes. Unfortunately, the 2018 session ended before the bill could begin its process through the Senate.
House Bill 1919 would establish licensing for cigar lounges and retail tobacconist shops. This legislation saw no activity during the 2018 session.
The spending authority for Washington's Youth Tobacco & Vapor Products Prevention Account was reduced by $1.6 million by the legislature. Despite this, funding for tobacco prevention and cessation in fiscal year 2019 was roughly the same as the previous year at about $1.5 million. However, this small amount of state funding is wholly inadequate for the task of effectively preventing and reducing tobacco use.
The American Lung Association in Washington will continue to work with stakeholders and engaged grassroot supporters to advocate for policies to reduce tobacco use and its health impact on Washington residents. Building on our momentum from the 2018 legislative session, the Lung Association will continue to support Tobacco 21 and use the increased awareness of tobacco to provide the foundation to increase appropriations for tobacco prevention programs
Washington Facts
Economic Cost Due to Smoking: | $2,811,911,987 |
Adult Smoking Rate: | 13.50% |
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: | 17.90% |
High School Smoking Rate: | 6.30% |
High School Tobacco Use Rate: | N/A |
Middle School Smoking Rate: | 3.10% |
Smoking Attributable Deaths: | 8,290 |
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. High school (10th grade only) and middle school (8th grade only) smoking rates are taken from the 2016 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey. A current high school tobacco use rate is not available for this state.
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 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable health care expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal health care expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.
To Get Involved, Contact:
Virginia State Highlights Select a different state
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Virginia. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Virginia's elected officials:
- Increase the cigarette excise tax by at least $1.00 per pack;
- Create parity between taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products; and
- Fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended level.
Multiple bills to prohibit tobacco products in schools, including on school grounds and to strengthen the state's Clean Indoor Air Act were also introduced in the state House of Representatives and Senate. Current law prohibits smoking in some public places but allows separately-ventilated smoking rooms in restaurants and bars, and completely leaves out workplaces that are not open to the public. Unfortunately, all bills were left in their respective legislative committees and died.
Funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs in Virginia increased by about $2 million in fiscal year 2019 from the previous fiscal year. Unfortunately, this is likely to be an increase only for this year as the increase was due to a one-time settlement of a dispute with tobacco companies over a portion of tobacco Master Settlement Agreement payments.
In 2019, priorities for the American Lung Association in Virginia will include working to ensure prevention and cessation programs are funded at a minimum at historic levels, a significant increase in the cigarette excise tax, and parity between taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products
Virginia Facts
Economic Cost Due to Smoking: | $3,113,009,298 |
Adult Smoking Rate: | 16.40% |
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: | 21.50% |
High School Smoking Rate: | 6.50% |
High School Tobacco Use Rate: | 16.30% |
Middle School Smoking Rate: | 2.40% |
Smoking Attributable Deaths: | 10,310 |
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. High school smoking and tobacco use data come from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Middle school smoking rate is taken from the Virginia 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.
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 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable health care expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal health care expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.