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California Gets Mixed Grades in Tobacco Report Card |
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From Ascribe Newsfeed: California scored a range of grades from A to F in the American Lung Association's State of Tobacco Control 2007 report, which highlighted success in smokefree air and youth access and detailed challenges regarding the state's cigarette tax and tobacco prevention and control spending. The annual American Lung Association report card grades each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico on four key tobacco control policies: smokefree air laws, cigarette tax, tobacco prevention spending and youth access laws. California received a D grade for cigarette taxes, an A grade for smokefree air, an F grade for tobacco prevention spending, and an A grade for youth access. Raising cigarette taxes prevents kids from starting to smoke and has motivated thousands of Americans to quit smoking, and California's grade is based on its 87-cent-per-pack tax. Currently, the average state cigarette tax nationwide is $1.11 per pack, an increase of about 11 cents from last year. The state's grade for youth access reflects enactment and enforcement of policies that restrict the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors, despite the tobacco industry's continued tactics to lure young smokers. "Despite all of our efforts, tobacco remains a significant public health challenge for our state," said David Burns, MD, an American Lung Association of California volunteer.
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