As usual, Indiana received a failing grade when it comes to smoking, vaping and chewing, as the American Lung Association gave the state an F for tobacco prevention and cessation.
This year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report from the American Lung Association grades federal and state efforts to reduce tobacco use and calls for meaningful policies that will prevent and reduce tobacco use and save lives. The report finds that Indiana earns mostly failing grades on its efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use, including e-cigarettes.
Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year. Much like COVID-19, tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure disproportionately impacts certain communities, including communities of color, LGBTQ+ Americans and persons of lower income. To address this critical public health threat, “State of Tobacco Control” provides a roadmap for the federal and state policies needed to prevent and reduce tobacco use.
This year’s 19th annual report finds that in 2021 Indiana has the opportunity to take action and enact a $2 per pack increase of the cigarette tax in order to support public health and save lives in 2021.
The need for Indiana to take action to protect youth from all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, is more urgent than ever, with the youth vaping epidemic continuing. With 1-in-5 teens vaping, our children are becoming the next generation addicted to tobacco. Youth vaping and tobacco use overall is largely driven by flavored tobacco products, and the 19th annual report has added a new state grade calling for policies to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes, flavored e-cigarettes and flavored cigars.
“In Indiana our adult smoking rates remain high at 19.2%, ranking 41st worst nationwide. The surge in youth vaping combined with the fact that smoking increases the chance of severe COVID-19 symptoms, make it more important than ever for Indiana to implement the proven measures outlined in ‘State of Tobacco Control’ to prevent and reduce tobacco use,” said American Lung Association advocacy director Nick Torres.
When it comes to the Lung Association’s tobacco ratings, Indiana received poor scores across the board.
The state received an F for funding for tobacco prevention programs, level of state tobacco taxes and efforts to end sale of flavored tobacco products. The State received a D grade for coverage and access to services to quit tobacco use and it’s best score, a C, came for strength of smoke-free workplace laws.
The American Lung Association encourages Indiana to put in place all the public policies called for in “State of Tobacco Control.”
One of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, not only among low-income individuals but also for youth is to significantly increase the tax on all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, the Lung Association suggests. Multiple studies have shown that every 10% increase in the price of cigarettes reduces consumption by about 4% among adults and about 7% among youth.
Indiana’s current tobacco excise taxes are just 99.5 cents, one of the lowest in the nation. Despite advocacy from groups like the Indiana Chamber of Commerce over recent years to hike that tax, the Indiana General Assembly has repeatedly passed on doing so.
Nationally, there’s a strong correlation among states with higher tobacco taxes and lower smoking rates.
“To protect kids from a lifetime of nicotine addiction, the Lung Association in Indiana encourages the Indiana General Assembly to increase cigarette taxes by $2 per pack and equalize the tax on other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and cigars with its cigarette tax,” Torres said.
Aside from hiking cigarette taxes, the American Lung Association also suggests Indiana banning all flavored tobacco products — a bill had been filed in previous legislative sessions but did not pass — and to upgrade its no-smoking laws to close loopholes that allow for bars, clubs and gaming venues to have indoor smoking.
The federal government received mixed scores, with some failing scores but also some excellent scores.
The federal government received an F for its level of federal tobacco taxes, and D’s for regulation of tobacco products and federal coverage of quit smoking treatments. But the federal government got A’s for mass media campaigns to prevent and reduce tobacco use and for recent raising the minimum age of tobacco sales to 21.
“State of Tobacco Control” 2021 provides an important roadmap on how states like Indiana and the federal government can put in place the policies proven to have the greatest impact on reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke. Because of COVID-19, we are all thinking more about lung health. Now is the time for lawmakers in Indiana to act and take this opportunity to achieve lasting reductions in tobacco-related death and disease,” said Nick Torres.
© 2024 KPC Media Group, Inc.