‘State of Tobacco' report: State, federal lawmakers must adopt policies to save lives

Yahoo

30-01-2025

A new report from the American Lung Association has identified Pennsylvania as one of the worst states at preventing and controlling tobacco use.
In a new report called the 'State of Tobacco Control 2025,' the ALA claims the tobacco industry is taking aggressive action at both the state and federal levels to protect its profits at the expense of the country's health. The association urges lawmakers to adopt 'proven' and effective tobacco control policies to save lives, citing tobacco use as the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.
The annual report assigns letter grades (A through F) for each U.S. state regarding different facets of tobacco prevention. Pennsylvania received the following grades:
* Funding for state tobacco prevention programs — Grade F
* Strength of smoke-free workplace laws — Grade D
* Level of state tobacco taxes — Grade F
* Coverage and access to services to quit tobacco — Grade D
* Ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products — Grade F
The American Lung Association urges state lawmakers to prioritize preserving funding for comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs and to 'close the loopholes in Pennsylvania's Clean Indoor Act and end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol, to reduce the overwhelming human and financial burden of tobacco use.'
The tobacco industry has taken 'increasingly aggressive actions to addict a new generation to tobacco and hinder proven public policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use,' said Elizabeth Hensil, Advocacy Director for Pennsylvania and West Virginia at the American Lung Association. 'Here in Pennsylvania, we are seeing tobacco industry lobbyists at the local level working to stop or weaken proven tobacco control policies. The tobacco industry is also introducing new products that appeal to youth, like e-cigarettes that mimic smartphones, kid-friendly flavors and flavored nicotine pouches that are heavily marketed by social media influencers.'
Despite receiving nearly $1.34 billion from tobacco settlement payments, tobacco taxes and other state funding, Pennsylvania funds tobacco control efforts at only 14.8% of the level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the association.
The report noted that at the state level, the industry has sought to protect specific tobacco products from taxation, and supported legislation that would result in state governments pursuing penalties against smaller competitors that sell e-cigarette products illegally in the U.S.
Lawmakers must 'resist these tobacco industry efforts and continue to pass proven policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use,' the ALA said.
The association also noted several 'major disappointments' at the federal level, the most significant being former President Joe Biden's failure to finalize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules that would end the sale of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars.
The report said that menthol flavoring has been falsely marketed as being a healthier alternative to non-menthol tobacco products. This has resulted in increased use of menthol cigarettes, contributing to higher rates of tobacco-related death and disease as well as tobacco-related health disparities, the report states.
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., killing 490,000 people each year, according to the ALA.
The 2025 'State of Tobacco Control' report graded the federal government in five areas:
* Federal Government Regulation of Tobacco Products — Grade C
* Federal Coverage of Quit Smoking Treatments — Grade D
* Level of Federal Tobacco Taxes — Grade F
* Federal Mass Media Campaigns to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use — Grade A
* Federal Minimum Age of Sale for Tobacco Products to 21 — Grade A
The report urges Congress to provide additional funding to the FDA so it can enforce against and remove all illegal e-cigarettes the tobacco industry has introduced to the market.