Elected
officials must spend tobacco settlement funds on tobacco use
prevention to restore public trust, Coalition says
The Missouri Partnership on Smoking or
Health calls on the leadership of our state to do the right
thing and dedicate Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA)
funds to help people quit smoking and keep kids from
starting. "Missouri deserves the failing grades issued by
the American Lung Association," commented Deborah Boldt,
Director of the Missouri Partnership on Smoking or Health (MPSH),
a statewide tobacco prevention coalition based in Jefferson
City.
"It is an outrage that Missouri has received over $510
million dollars from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement
but not one penny has been used for its intended purpose,
tobacco prevention and control."
Boldt was referring to the first annual American Lung
Association State of Tobacco Control Report released
nationally on Jan. 7, 2003. While many states received
failing grades for tobacco prevention, Missouri received
three "F's" for tobacco program funding, tobacco taxes, and
smokefree air and a "C" for laws limiting youth access to
tobacco.
More than 10,000 Missourians die of smoking-related illness
annually, and 16,000 Missouri youth become new smokers. It
is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in
Missouri and this nation.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the minimum amount needed to provide
comprehensive tobacco use prevention in Missouri is $33
million annually. "When it comes to tobacco prevention, you
have to spend money to save money," commented Jim Blaine,
M.D., a tobacco prevention advocate from Springfield.
"The CDC's Best Practices on Tobacco Prevention has
significantly decreased tobacco use in states that have
chosen to fund the program. Smoking costs this state 4.1
billion dollars annually in health care and disability
costs. It is the responsibility of our state lawmakers to
protect the health and fiscal resources of all Missourians.
It would be deplorable not to use any of the Master
Settlement Agreement funds for tobacco prevention."
In November 2002 exit polls, voters cited distrust of
government as a major reason they voted against Proposition
A, a proposal to raise the tobacco tax by 55˘. They
referred to the misuse of gambling money that was to be used
for education, sales tax dollars proposed for highway use,
and MSA funds for tobacco prevention, as reasons for voting
against Proposition A.
"Currently the people of Missouri do not trust state
leaders to protect their health or to spend tax dollars as
promised," said Boldt. "During this legislative session,
lawmakers have an excellent opportunity to prove they are
dedicated to the proper use of MSA funds. The Missouri
Partnership challenges the 2003 General Assembly and the
governor to have the wisdom, courage, and character to spend
MSA funds on tobacco prevention."
The Missouri Partnership on Smoking or Health is a
coalition of organizations throughout the state, advocating
for better health for all Missourians through improved
public policy on tobacco.