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Tobacco Facts

Tobacco-related diseases kill about 7,600 Washington residents every year.

 Tobacco-related medical costs in Washington exceed $1.6 billion annually.

 The tobacco industry spends approximately  $146 million annually in Washington promoting its products and generating new smokers.

 
Visit our secondhand smoke Web site

CONTACT:
 Terry Reid
Department of Health
PO Box 47848
Olympia, WA  98504-7848
360-236-3665
terry.reid@doh.wa.gov

Program Funding History

December 2010

For decades tobacco use has been the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Washington State.  To offset this, in 2000 the state created a well-funded anti-tobacco program.

The state’s anti-tobacco efforts actually began more than a decade ago, when the Department of Health (DOH) and the American Cancer Society took part in the American Stop Smoking Intervention Study.  The National Cancer Institute funded the project in 17 states.

Late 1990s
A total of 46 states, including Washington, sued the tobacco companies for targeting and marketing to children.  Washington’s attorney general led the discussions in the final settlement with the companies.

The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA):

• Provided $4.5 billion over 25 years for states to help pay for the harm caused by tobacco.

• Put restrictions on tobacco ads and marketing. 

• Limited tobacco companies’ ability to fight anti-tobacco laws. 

For more information on the Master Settlement Agreement, go to http://www.atg.wa.gov/Tobacco/default.aspx.

The 1999 Washington State Legislature used $100 million of the state’s first annual payment from the law suit to create a Tobacco Prevention and Control Account.  DOH then developed the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, and appointed a Tobacco Prevention and Control Council made up of public health experts to recommend the best measures to:

1. Prevent kids from becoming addicted to tobacco.

2. Help people quit using tobacco.

3. Reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.  

The Council recommended a $26.24 million annual program budget. View the plan under Reports at this site; http://www.doh.wa.gov/Tobacco/default.htm

2000-2001
The Legislature:

• Gave $15 million to DOH for tobacco prevention and control during the program’s first year (July 2000-June 2001). 

• The funding increased to $17.5 million for July 2001-June 2002.

• In November 2001, Washington voters approved Initiative 773, raising the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 60 cents.

• Part of the new tax, six cents on every pack of cigarettes, went to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Account.

2002 - 2008
The Legislature approved a budget of $26.2 million for July 2002-June 2003, as recommended by the Council.  It included $8.75 million from the tobacco tax increase from Initiative 773. 

More funding of $1.6 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and $900,000 in fees paid by tobacco retailers brought each year’s budget to about $29 million. 

The state ranked in the top ten nationally in per capita spending on tobacco prevention and control.  The program’s work resulted in big drops in Washington’s rates of youth and adult smoking that have outpaced national rates of decline.

Funding for 2009 and beyond

The $9 billion state budget shortfall faced by the Legislature in 2009 resulted in many changes that affect the current and future operation of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program:

• The 2009-11 biennial budget decreased by 43% to about $30 million of state money.

• The legislature asked that the tobacco prevention program stop spending money on television and radio advertising.

• Local health departments and the General Fund got the remaining funds.

• The portion of the cigarette tax formerly dedicated to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Account now goes to the General Fund.

• In June of 2011, there will be no state funding for tobacco prevention and control unless a new source of money is found.

Research shows that state anti-tobacco programs must be broad-based and comprehensive to be effective.  When programs in other states lost funding, declines in smoking rates have leveled off or reversed.  An annual funding level of $15 million unlikely to support a statewide program that will continue the success experienced to date across Washington State.

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Tobacco Prevention and Control Program
Washington State Department of Health
111 Israel Rd, PO BOX 47848
Olympia, WA 98504-7848

Last Update : 06/09/2011 04:22 PM
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