Georgia not spending adequate amount of settlement money, tobacco taxes on prevention programs, advocate says

While anti-smoking campaigns have contributed to smoking rates falling by 73% since 1965, more than 480,000 people die annually in the U.S. from tobacco use and secondhand smoke, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Brian King, the executive vice president for U.S. Programs with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, says there’s a misconception that smoking is something America finally got under control. King says 30 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and in recent decades, teens have become addicted to e-cigarettes, vapes, and now nicotine pouches. 

King believes efforts to reduce tobacco use among adults and teens are being weakened by the lack of federal and state investment in prevention programs. Federal health programs have faced deep funding cuts, including the elimination of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. King says tobacco companies spend $8.6 billion dollars annually on marketing, outspending state efforts to combat tobacco use by nearly 12 to 1.