New CDC Study Shows State Tobacco Use Rates Remain High

Statement of Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association in response to the article, State-specific Prevalence of Tobacco Product Use Among Adults—United States, 2014-2015 in the January 26 edition of CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report:

"Despite an overall decrease in use of tobacco products, not all states have seen meaningful reductions in tobacco use. Three states – Wyoming, West Virginia and Kentucky – have significantly higher tobacco use rates than most of the rest of the country, pointing to an urgent need for their state leaders to put in place proven effective policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use, which remains the leading cause of death in the United States, killing 480,000 Americans each year.  

"Our 2018 "State of Tobacco Control" report, released yesterday, provides a roadmap for these states and others to follow to reduce tobacco use and save lives. See each state's grades for these key tobacco control policies at  www.Lung.org/sotc."