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Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Rhode Island. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Rhode Island’s elected officials:

  1. Ensure all Rhode Islanders have a smokefree workplace by establishing smokefree casinos;
  2. Establish tax parity for all tobacco products and fund tobacco control programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended level; and
  3. Establish pharmacists prescribing authority for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved cessation medication.
During the 2023 Rhode Island legislative session the American Lung Association weighed in on seven tobacco-related bills. During the early days of session, the Lung Association advocated for increased tobacco control, prevention, and enforcement funding to be included in the Governors fiscal year 2024 proposed budget and had successful hearings on legislation that would enable pharmacists to prescribe FDA-approved smoking cessation therapies. The pharmacists prescribing authority passed in the House of Representatives but was never moved forward for a vote in the Senate. In Spring 2023, there were multiple hearings on legislation that would close a nearly 20-year-old loophole and make casinos smokefree. The Lung Association worked to support dozens of casino employees and share their stories in hopes of successful passage – neither Chamber held a vote before session ended.

Tobacco Free Rhode Island (TFRI), a grant funded through the Department of Health and administered by the Lung Association, led Rhode Island’s statewide youth tobacco movement by empowering individuals aged 12-21 to become Tobacco Free Ambassadors. The youth-led program focused on tobacco's impacts on health, the environment, and social justice, inspiring "Gen Zer's" to educate their peers at school, out in the community, and at a state-level. Ambassadors marched to the statehouse in April using their voices to educate lawmakers.

In April 2023, the Lung Association led a Day of Action alongside state partners at the Rhode Island State House. The day started with a day-long training of youth advocates and ended with more than 60 advocates gathering at the State House for a press conference with medical professionals, legislator champions, and youth speakers. Following the press conference, advocates found their legislators on the House and Senate floor to educate them on the importance of smokefree casinos and adequately funding tobacco control and prevention.

Looking ahead to 2024, the American Lung Association calls on Rhode Island policy makers now more than ever, to adequately fund tobacco control efforts at or above the CDC-recommended level to ensure all Rhode Islanders are protected from a lifetime of tobacco dependence and disease.

Rhode Island Facts
Healthcare Costs Due to Smoking: $639,604,224
Adult Smoking Rate: 11.80%
High School Smoking Rate: 3.00%
High School Tobacco Use Rate: 17.50%
Middle School Smoking Rate: 1.60%
Smoking Attributable Deaths per Year: 1,780
Adult smoking data come from CDC's 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. High school smoking and tobacco use data come from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Middle school smoking rate is taken from the 2019 Rhode Island Youth Risk Behavior 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 healthcare expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal healthcare expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.

Rhode Island Information

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