Assemblyman Crespo Fights for Increased Funding to Reduce Smoking Rates

Letter to the Editor For tens of thousands of smokers focused on stopping smoking and who feel there is not enough support for smoking cessation programs, their observations are now confirmed with the release of a new study by the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There has been less help for them from the hundreds of millions of dollars New York State collects yearly from tobacco tax revenue and the federal tobacco settlement. Smoking rates in immigrant communities are substantially higher than the general population and smoking related illnesses are over-represented in these communities. The latest research by Dr. Simona Kwon, assistant professor and director of the NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health, tell us that 11% of all Asians in NYC reported smoking, however, smoking rates differ significantly by Asian subgroup – for example – 23% of Koreans reported smoking (36% among males and 11% among females), and 11% of Chinese reported smoking (18% among males and 4% among females). NYU researchers also uncovered that along with gender differences, differences were also found for nativity. Foreign-born males reported higher rates of smoking compared to their U.S. born counterparts (20% vs 11%). Over the last decade, New York has made great progress in lowering the incidence of adult and youth smoking and the serious smoking-related illness that result. However, the average smoking rate in the State is 18% and much higher in certain ethnic groups, income levels and regions. In speaking with those in our districts and elsewhere, we hear a common theme. The majority of smokers wish they did not smoke and would like to quit. We believe that we simply must do more to address this problem, to prevent young people from ever starting and to help current smokers kick this deadly addiction. Here is what we know: four cancers – lung, breast, colorectal and prostate – account for roughly half of all cancer diagnoses and half of all cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the number one killer, accounting for a quarter of all cancer deaths. We know that pockets of New York State have higher of New York State have higher-than-national average lung cancer deaths, while many communities of color are disproportionately affected by this menace, resulting in thousands of needless deaths each year. And we know that New York’s primary mechanisms for dealing tobacco prevention and cessation are woefully underfunded. The state’s program to keep kids from using tobacco and to help smokers quit has lost 50% of its funding over the past few years despite the state raising over $2 billion annually in tobacco revenues. These cuts have directly impacted the program’s ability to reach smokers with fewer ads, less nicotine replacement therapy and a reduction in critical programming and outreach. The New York State Tobacco Control Program has proven effective in reducing the number of men and women who smoke and the number of children taking up this deadly addiction. The rates of adult and teen smoking in New York have fallen at a faster rate than the United States as a whole. The program is independently reviewed and those reviews have concluded that the program is responsible for significant public health improvements. In addition, the review has most recently identified the program’s single biggest weakness – dwindling state support. A recently released independent evaluation of the program recommends that New York spend $127.5 million a year, nearly four times what is currently spent on the program. We have sponsored legislation A.7426 which would allocate a small portion of tobacco tax revenues incrementally over a ten year period to the TCP program and bring funding levels in line with the recommendations of the CDC by 2025. Such funding would pay for itself in the short-term by reducing smoking-related health care costs and provide a return on investment long term that is ten-fold. Importantly, it would send a strong signal of New York’s commitment to help smokers quit, prevent premature death and disease and improve public health. Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo
Chair, Assembly Task Force on New Americans Assemblyman Ron Kim
Member, Assembly Committee on Children and Families