Report Calls on Maine to Renew Its Commitment to Eliminate Tobacco-Caused Death and Disease

American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2014 Report Calls on Maine to Renew Its Commitment to Eliminate Tobacco-Caused Death and Disease  (AUGUSTA, ME) – Maine is failing to adequately fund programs that keep kids from starting to smoke and help smokers quit, according to the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2014 report released today. However, Maine remains as one of the only states to not receive any failing grades. Less than a week after the release of the 50th anniversary U.S. Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health, State of Tobacco Control 2014 issues an urgent call to action to policymakers across the country to reverse their present course and commit to eliminating tobacco-caused death and disease.  The latest Surgeon General’s report warns 5.6 million of today’s youth will die from tobacco use unless swift action is taken.

 

“Maine’s report card on tobacco control is not one any parent will be proudly hanging on their refrigerator,” said Matt Sturgis, Leadership Board Chair for the American Lung Association in Maine. “Just eight short years ago, Maine was the only state in the nation to receive straight A’s. Since that time, our state is continuously failing to invest in vital resources that help keep kids from starting to smoke and provide smokers with the tools they so desperately need to quit. Meanwhile, Big Tobacco continues to rob Mainers of their health and employ clever tactics to lure new youth smokers.”

 

Maine received the following grades for 2013:

 

Tobacco Prevention Control and Spending	D
Smokefree Air	A
Cigarette Tax	C
Cessation	D

 

The failure of the federal and state governments to implement proven policies resulted in 20 million preventable deaths from tobacco use from 1964-2014, including 2.5 million from secondhand smoke.  The 2014 Surgeon General’s report found that almost half a million lives are unnecessarily lost each year due to tobacco, as well as $280 billion in healthcare costs and lost productivity. 

 

The Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2014, its 12th annual report, tracks yearly progress on key tobacco control policies at the federal and state level, assigning grades based on whether laws are adequately protecting citizens from the enormous toll tobacco use takes on lives and the economy.  Tobacco-related diseases, such as lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other cancers, heart disease and stroke kill almost half a million Americans each year.

 

“With Friday’s release of the 50th anniversary Surgeon General’s report on Smoking and Health, Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral (RADM) Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H declared "enough is enough" and that we must do more if we are going to protect Americans from the burden of tobacco use,” said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast. “Smoking is responsible for almost 500,000 deaths in this country annually and our state leaders must act now so that we may prevent more Americans from getting sick and dying from tobacco-related disease. The battle against the tobacco epidemic is not over.”

 

Tobacco causes an estimated 2,235 deaths in Maine annually and costs the state’s economy $1 billion in healthcare costs and lost productivity, a tremendous burden that our state can ill afford.

 

For Maine, 2013 was another missed opportunity to put in place proven policies to reduce tobacco use and save lives, including providing comprehensive cessation benefit coverage, higher tobacco taxes and adequately funded tobacco use prevention and quit smoking programs. 

 

Priorities that must be addressed to improve Maine’s State of Tobacco Control© grades in 2014 include:

• expanding funding for state tobacco prevention and cessation programs,
• increasing the cigarette tax by at least one dollar,
• providing comprehensive cessation benefit coverage to all Mainers,
• and taxing all tobacco products at equal rates.

“Comprehensive smokefree laws, high tobacco taxes, funding tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs at recommended levels and providing insurance coverage that includes cessation treatments have all been proven to reduce tobacco use. All that is missing in Maine is the political will from our elected officials,” continued Sturgis.

 

Meanwhile, the tobacco industry continued its ruthless pursuit of addicting new users and keeping current users from quitting in 2013. This included efforts at the federal and state levels to exempt their products from meaningful public health protections.

 

The three largest cigarette manufacturers—Altria, Reynolds American, and Lorillard—continued their aggressive expansion into other tobacco products in 2013. As cigarette use continues to gradually decline, these companies continue to maintain their power over America’s youth and reap profits from smokeless tobacco, cigars and now e-cigarettes.

 

“We urge everyone in Maine to join with the American Lung Association in renewing their commitment to preventing another 50 years of tobacco-caused death, disease and avoidable healthcare expense,” continued Seyler.

Maine Doesn’t Make the Grade

Maine Doesn’t Make the Grade in American Lung Association’s Annual Tobacco Report Card

New American Lung Association Report calls out Maine for falling grades

(AUGUSTA, ME) - Maine failed to protect children from Big Tobacco’s marketing tactics by neglecting to invest in programs and policies proven to reduce tobacco use according to the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control 2013 report released today. In fact, the report gives Maine a “thumbs down” for cutting funding for its successful tobacco prevention and cessation program by $1.5 million in 2012. The report also calls out Maine for the state’s narrow-minded decision to eliminate coverage for cessation medication to MaineCare (Medicaid) recipients, with the exception of pregnant women.

Once hailed as the only state in the nation to earn all A’s for its efforts to protect Mainers from the premature death and preventable disease caused by tobacco, Maine continued to slide backward in key measures, earning 2 ‘D’s, a ‘C’ and just one ‘A’ in the latest report. 

The Lung Association’s annual State of Tobacco Control® report tracks progress on key tobacco control policies at the federal and state level, assigning grades based on whether laws are adequately protecting citizens from the enormous toll tobacco use takes on lives and the economy.

Maine received the following grades for 2013:

Tobacco Prevention Control and Spending	D
Smokefree Air	A
Cigarette Tax	C
Cessation	D

“Last year Maine received praise for having the highest grade for cessation in the nation,” said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast. “Over the course of the 2012 legislative session, lawmakers virtually eliminated coverage for cessation medications under MaineCare. Maine continues to fall behind in funding prevention efforts after the latest round of budget cuts. These ill-advised decisions resulted in Maine dropping two grades in our annual State of Tobacco Control report.”

The failure of states across the U.S. to invest in policies and programs to reduce tobacco use has resulted in 3 million new youth and young smokers in the United States, according to the Surgeon General’s 2012 report. The theme of this year’s State of Tobacco Control report is “Follow the Money.” The Lung Association is urging state governments to weigh the real costs tobacco use has on public health as well as the state healthcare system.

Tobacco causes an estimated 2,235 deaths in Maine annually and costs the state’s economy more than $1 billion in healthcare costs and lost productivity, a tremendous burden the state can ill afford.  Yet, Maine receives $196 million in tobacco-related revenue annually and only invests just 40.7 percent of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends should be spent on tobacco prevention and cessation programs.  States are failing to invest the necessary funds that are vital to keeping youth off tobacco and helping smokers quit, and are paying the price in healthcare expenditures and human lives.

“The state of tobacco control in Maine has had some serious setbacks,” said Ed Miller, Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the American Lung Association of the Northeast, in the Augusta office. “The latest blow was the Governor and Legislature’s misguided actions last year to eliminate funding for effective medications to help low income smokers quit.  We continue to reduce funding for smoking prevention efforts. High cigarette taxes have been proven effective in preventing youth from starting to smoke and motivating smokers to quit. Our state tobacco tax, which was once one of the nation’s highest, has not been raised since 2005.  Our only remaining area of national leadership is Maine’s strong smokefree air laws.”

Tobacco companies continue to introduce and promote new products, such as candy-flavored cigars and dissolvable tobacco products. Youth, low-income populations, and members of the Hispanic and LGBT communities who smoke cigars are more likely to smoke flavored cigars, according to a recent study in Nicotine and Tobacco Research.  Meanwhile, the sales and popularity of these tobacco products have surged in large part due to their cheaper price.  Each day, roughly 3,000 youth smoke a cigar for the first time. 

Currently, Maine has the second lowest tobacco tax in the Northeast. The state was previously one of the most aggressive in keeping cigarette prices high and as a result has achieved a dramatic decline in youth smoking.  However, the last cigarette tax increase was in 2005 and Maine’s youth smoking rate decline has stalled since. With Maine’s tight budget, money from cigarette taxes is being left on the table that can and must fund vital, lifesaving programs to prevent kids from starting and help tobacco users quit and assure health care coverage for those in need. The American Lung Association of the Northeast calls on Maine to tax all tobacco products at the same rate to achieve tax parity. 

Priorities that need to be addressed to improve Maine’s State of Tobacco Control grades include:

• Raising the tobacco tax by at least one dollar in 2013
• Taxing “other” tobacco products, such as cigars and smokeless tobacco, at the same rate as cigarettes
• Restoring coverage for all 7 cessation medications to all MaineCare recipients, not just pregnant women
• Funding the state tobacco control program at or above the CDC recommended level

 “It’s time we get serious about the deaths, disability and preventable health care costs resulting from tobacco use. Leaders in Augusta must provide smokers with the support they need to quit and adequately fund programs that help keep our kids off tobacco,” continued Miller. “Maine policy makers have led the nation in the past on tobacco issues. It is time for us to reclaim our national leadership.”

Maine Moving Backward in Helping Smokers Quit

American Lung Association Report Cites Maine as Moving Backward in Helping Smokers Quit
Coverage in Maine is cut as more states increase efforts to help smokers quit

 (AUGUSTA, MAINE) – While more states moved to increase access to tobacco cessation coverage, the American Lung Association is drawing attention to Maine’s misguided efforts to reduce assistance to smokers with low incomes in their efforts to quit tobacco.  The American Lung Association’s “Helping Smokers Quit: Tobacco Cessation Coverage 2012” report calls Maine out as the state which lost the most ground in the fight to help people break their tobacco addiction.  Released today, the annual report provides a comprehensive review of each state’s tobacco cessation coverage and an up-to-date look at federal coverage and requirements under the Affordable Care Act.
“One thing we do know is that most smokers want to quit,” said Jeff Seyler, President & CEO of the American Lung Association of the Northeast. “What this report tells us is that states and the federal government are simply not doing enough to support efforts to quit. The upcoming year offers an opportunity for lawmakers to help reduce tobacco’s burden and make the necessary resources available.”
The American Lung Association report shows that the federal government has missed several key opportunities to improve access to quit smoking medications and counseling.   The record for the states is mixed, but far too many fail to ensure coverage.  Maine was the state singled out in the report for losing the most ground in the past year.
“A year ago we were celebrating Maine as the ‘Most Quit Friendly State’ in the nation,” said Ed Miller, Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the American Lung Association in Maine.  “Maine’s decision this year to drop coverage for tobacco cessation medications from the MaineCare program flies the face of numerous studies – and frankly common sense - that tell us when people quit smoking, we lower healthcare costs in as little as a year.  This report should be a wakeup call to the legislature and the Governor.  If they want straightforward, cost effective ways to reduce healthcare spending, they need to reverse course and take cessation, and all tobacco control efforts, more seriously.”
The report’s key findings are: