Lung Assn. grades state an ‘F’ on tobacco

Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, taking an estimated 480,000 lives every year. This year’s “State of Tobacco Control” report from the American Lung Association finds Louisiana earned failing grades on its efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use. The American Lung Association calls on Louisiana officials to strengthen the existing statewide smoke-free air law to include protections for bar and casino workers in order to save lives.
The need for Louisiana to take action to protect youth from tobacco is more urgent than ever, with youth e-cigarette use reaching epidemic levels due to a 78 percent increase in high school e-cigarette use from 2017 to 2018, according to results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s 2018 National Youth Tobacco Survey. This equals one million additional kids beginning to use e-cigarettes, placing their developing bodies and lungs at risk from the chemicals in e-cigarettes as well as a lifetime of addiction to a deadly product. This has caused the U.S. Surgeon General to declare e-cigarette use among young people an epidemic in an Advisory issued in December 2018.
“In Louisiana, our smoking rates remain at 23.1 percent. Tobacco use is a serious addiction and we need to invest in the proven measures to prevent and reduce tobacco use outlined in ‘State of Tobacco Control’,” said American Lung Association Director of Advocacy, Ashley Lyerly.
The 17th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report grades states and the federal government on policies proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use, and finds that elected officials must do more to save lives and ensure all Louisiana residents benefit from reductions in tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke:
— Funding for State Tobacco Prevention Programs – Grade [F].
— Strength of Smokefree Workplace Laws – Grade [C].
— Level of State Tobacco Taxes - Grade [F].
— Coverage and Access to Services to Quit Tobacco – Grade [D].
— Minimum Age of Sale for Tobacco Products to 21 – Grade [F].
The American Lung Association encourages Louisiana to fully fund tobacco control efforts at levels recommended by the CDC, and in particular, this year’s report noted the need to focus on strengthening the existing statewide smokefree air law to protect all workers from secondhand smoke exposure.
The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and if Louisiana would pass a comprehensive smoke-free law that eliminates smoking in all public places and workplaces, workers across the state would benefit. This health protection would benefit everyone and is especially critical for those who work in the service and manufacturing sectors who are often exposed to secondhand smoke daily. “Opportunities for better health begin where people work, live and play, and a person should not have to be exposed to the dangers of secondhand smoke to put food on the table,” said Lyerly.
Local municipalities continue to take the lead on public health issues by implementing strong smoke-free ordinances. The East Baton Rouge Parish implemented an ordinance on June 1, 2018, to protect all residents and workers in the city, including all bar and casino workers, from the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure. The City of Abbeville and the Town of Roseland have also passed and implemented comprehensive smokefree air protections.
for all workers and residents.
“State of Tobacco Control” 2019 provides a blueprint that states and the federal government can follow to put in place proven policies that will have the greatest impact on reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke in the U.S. The real question is: Will lawmakers in Louisiana end their failure to act and take this opportunity to achieve lasting reductions in tobacco-related death and disease?”