American Lung Association 'State of Tobacco Control' Report: Wyoming Must Prioritize Public Health over the Tobacco Industry

This year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report from the American Lung Association calls for proven tobacco control policies in light of the fact that the country’s youth vaping epidemic worsened in 2019. This public health emergency is a direct result of states’ and the federal government’s failure to enact evidence-based policies outlined in the report such as increasing tobacco taxes, supporting tobacco cessation services and stronger federal oversight of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. 

This year’s 18th annual report finds Wyoming earned failing grades on its policies to reduce and prevent tobacco use, including e-cigarettes. Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year. The American Lung Association calls on Wyoming legislators to raise tobacco taxes to help support public health and save lives.

The need for Wyoming to take action to protect youth from all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, is more urgent than ever, with the youth vaping epidemic continuing its alarming rise to 27.5 percent or more than one in four high school students. This is a staggering 135 percent increase in high school e-cigarette use in just the past two years, and close to three million more kids started vaping in that time period, setting them up for a lifetime of addiction.

“In Wyoming alone, there are more than 80,000 current smokers,” said Carrie Nyssen, senior director of advocacy for the American Lung Association in Wyoming. “And with the youth vaping epidemic still rising, we may have squandered an opportunity to make the current generation of kids the first tobacco-free generation. Tobacco use is a serious addiction, and Wyoming must prevent and reduce tobacco use.”

The 18th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report grades states and the federal government on policies proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use.

Wyoming’s Grades:

• Funding for State Tobacco Prevention Programs – Grade D

• Strength of Smokefree Workplace Laws - Grade F

• Level of State Tobacco Taxes – Grade F

• Coverage and Access to Services to Quit Tobacco - D

• Minimum Age of Sale for Tobacco Products to 21 – Grade F

One of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use is to increase the tax on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Multiple studies have shown that every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by about four percent among adults and about seven percent among youth. To protect kids from a lifetime of nicotine addiction, Wyoming should increase cigarette taxes by $1.50 a pack and equalize the tax on other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes with its cigarette tax. 

“State of Tobacco Control” 2020 provides an important roadmap on how states like Wyoming and the federal government can put in place the policies proven to have the greatest impact on reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Now is the time for lawmakers in Wyoming to take this opportunity to achieve lasting reductions in tobacco-related death and disease,” said Nyssen. 

The question remains: will public health be prioritized over tobacco product manufacturers so that another generation is spared the addiction to dangerous tobacco products? As the result of successful lawsuits filed by the American Lung Association and several public health partners, FDA will be required to take several important and long overdue actions to protect the public health from tobacco products in 2020. These include finalizing graphic warning labels on all cigarette packs by March 15, and requiring all e-cigarette, and most cigar, hookah, pipe and other manufacturers of deemed products to submit applications to FDA by May 12, 2020 to remain on the market in the U.S. 

For media interested in speaking with an expert about the “State of Tobacco Control” report, lung health, tobacco use and tobacco control policies, contact Holly Harvey at [email protected] or 206-512-3292.