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New York’s $69.1 million in funding for tobacco-control programs this fiscal year,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], which includes $10.7 million in federal money, is 27.2 percent of what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends, the report said. New York has cut its funding of programs by more than 30 percent since 2007.
New York’s high marks are for its $4.35 per pack cigarette tax and its smoking law, which bans smoking in all public and private facilities except cigar bars and bars that receive economic-hardship waivers. Tribal casinos are exempt. New York raised its cigarette tax from $2.75 to $4.35 per pack in July 2010 ― the highest in the nation ― to help balance its budget. That hike will save an estimated 31,000 lives and prevent 23,000 kids from taking up the habit, the group said.
The report grades states on a limited number of categories, and New York’s marks don’t reflect the success the state has had in reducing smoking rates and preventing people from becoming smokers, said Peter Constantakes,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a state Health Department spokesman. Nationally, the average adult smoking rate is 20.6 percent of the population,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], compared to 18 percent in New York. The rate for students in high school is 19.5 percent in the United States and 14.8 percent in New York.
“There’s a law you can’t smoke in front of cafes and bars,” Phillips said. “They’re not enforcing it. I haven’t really had any problems.” But half a block away at City Plaza, Gerry Houston and Franz Miller, both of San Rafael, said times are getting tougher for Marin smokers. “I think we should be able to smoke in waiting rooms,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], that restaurants should have a smoking section because that’s how they know you’re done eating,” said Houston, who is trying to quit.
“I have a friend ― she rented a condominium, but she had to go outside to smoke.” And passersby often give smokers dirty looks on the street, Miller said. “It’s a little bit of a sore spot to me because the looks people give you ― it’s a little bit like being considered the new lepers,” Miller said. “They’ll be 50 feet away, and they’ll start coughing when it isn’t even lit.” In California,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], tobacco takes a significant toll on public health and taxpayer dollars, according to the lung association.
Nearly 4 million people in California smoke, and tobacco-related illness remains the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the state, killing 36,000 people a year. Smoking claims more lives than alcohol, HIV/AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], murders and suicides combined, according to the association. “It’s time to raise the grade,” said Ken Shitamoto,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], chairman of the association’s California Greater Bay Area Leadership Board. “Strong local tobacco control policies must be a top priority for our elected officials.”