Program Overview
December 2010
Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and accounts for a
substantial share of taxpayer medical expenditures. Tobacco-related
diseases kill about 7,600 people every year in Washington State, more
than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides, and
fires combined.
The Washington State
Department of Health greatly expanded its tobacco prevention program in
2000 with funding from the Master Settlement Agreement, which settled a
lawsuit against tobacco companies. The Tobacco Prevention and Control
Program (TPCP) works with local health agencies, tribes, schools, and
community organizations to deliver integrated activities to all
Washington residents. The activities are based on comprehensive, proven,
and cost-effective strategies.
Community and tribal programs
The TPCP funds
tobacco prevention and control activities through local health
departments and community
organizations
in all 39 Washington counties. Tobacco funds are now integrated into
the healthy communities programs with five local health departments.
In addition, the program funds tobacco prevention activities in 27
tribes and six community-based organizations serving culturally diverse
and higher risk populations.
School programs
All
nine
of
the state’s Educational Service Districts receive funding to help schools
improve and
enforce
tobacco-free
policies, deliver research-based curricula, and support the
implementation of
tobacco-free
campus policies.
Policy and enforcement
The Department of Health works with the Federal Food and Drug
Administration, the state Office of the Attorney General,
the Liquor Control Board, and local law enforcement to enforce state and
federal laws restricting tobacco sales and advertising to kids, and with
local health departments to enforce the statewide ban on indoor smoking.
Public awareness and marketing
From 2000-2008 the TPCP’s advertising campaign used traditional paid
media, such as television
and radio advertising, to help adults quit smoking, prevent teens
from starting, and to raise awareness about the dangers of secondhand
smoke. A strong earned media effort assists in promoting the
cessation and prevention efforts of the program.
Assessment and evaluation
The TPCP regularly collects and analyzes information on tobacco use among
adults and youth in Washington, then measures the program impact by comparing results to data
collected before the program began.
Funding
The
TPCP’s annual budget from 2002 through 2008 was approximately $28.5
million per year, which included:
-
Master Settlement Agreement - $17.5 million
-
January 2002 increase in the sales tax on tobacco products - $8.75 million
-
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - $1.56 million
-
Fees paid by tobacco retailers $750,000
During this time Washington
State ranked 14th nationally in per capita spending on tobacco
prevention and control. However, for the 2009-2011 biennium the
Legislature reduced the program’s budget to $15.4
million per year. Then in March 2010 the budget for the second
year of the biennium was reduced by another $2.649 million.
Overall the budget has been reduced by approximately 54 percent.
Overview
For a brief overview of the TPCP’s funding history, see the
funding history
fact sheet. For additional program
information, visit
www.doh.wa.gov/Tobacco/.
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