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In fighting tobacco addiction, Connecticut racked up some
decent grades in the last year as calculated by the American Lung
Association. The state received an “A” for enforcing policies to restrict
the sale of cigarettes to minors. We rated a “B” for hiking cigarettes taxes
to discourage smoking.
Connecticut’s current tax is $2.00 per pack, well above the national average
of $1.11. Also, Connecticut logged a “B” grade for barring smoking in
workplaces, government and health facilities, and in restaurants and bars.
However, there is a but about butts in Connecticut. The Lung
Association gave the state an “F” grade for its use of tobacco lawsuit
settlement payments to finance tobacco prevention and control programs.
Also, The Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids ranked Connecticut
dead last in state spending to fund tobacco prevention.
Though it has received more than $1 billion since 1998 as its share of the
legal settlement that ended lawsuits by the states against the tobacco
industry, Connecticut is “spending minimal amounts on tobacco prevention,”
according to the Campaign’s report.
The issue is how dollars from the tobacco settlement are used. The money is
designed to compensate states for health expenditures tied to
tobacco-related illnesses, and for their legal costs in battling Big
Tobacco.
States have leeway with the funding, and Connecticut has pumped the money
into its general fund, instead of using a healthy share on tobacco
prevention programs. Politicians in both parties have defended this
strategy, noting that Connecticut spent millions on health care and has the
right to balance its budgets with the tobacco funding.
Democratic Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who was deeply involved in
the litigation against tobacco interests, has been a strong voice in calling
for more spending on anti-tobacco programs. Blumenthal said the share up to
now has been “an inadequate pittance” and said people “should be embarrassed
and saddened that Connecticut is dead last in fighting tobacco.”
Last week Blumenthal and Democratic legislative leaders held a news
conference urging a speedy funding transfer so a popular anti-tobacco
program called Connecticut Quitline could be saved. This hotline-style
program offered counseling and free nicotine patches or gum to smokers who
wanted to kick the habit.
The project was supported by Republican Gov. Jodi Rell who called the
program “a key element of the state’s tobacco use and prevention and control
effort” when free nicotine replacement therapy began last July. Oddly,
Quitline was too successful. Funding for nicotine patches and gum ran out,
and Blumenthal says the project now offers only counseling.
The Attorney General urged Rell to revive Quitline’s free nicotine
replacement program by transferring $2 million dollars from the Connecticut
Cancer Plan that he claims “is likely to remain unused”, while a long-term
strategy for funding Quitline is devised.
Blumenthal said Connecticut should dedicate $20 million annually to
anti-tobacco programs. He claimed that the state will receive a special
bonus of $27 million because of its leadership role in litigation against
Big Tobacco.
In response, Rell administration budget chief Robert Genuario said he is
willing to work with the Democrat-controlled legislature to find extra
funding to keep Quitline operational. However, he questioned if a transfer
from the Cancer Plan made sense, contending that existing funding was needed
for “colorectal screening or other care for cancer victims.”
Genuario made it clear the administration would not take the rap for
inadequate funding for anti-tobacco efforts. He said “the legislature
appropriates money and the governor has limited power to transfer funds.”
Genuario said any meaningful boost in the state’s financial commitment “may
require legislative action and choices.”
Rell’s budget czar also defended the state’s use of millions of dollars from
the tobacco settlement. “We have put a lot of money into health care and
education,” said Genuario. “I have no apologies for that and that is where I
personally like to see the money go.” He said lawmakers are free to put more
dollars into anti-smoking programs and said “they would not have an argument
from me.”
State Rep. Denise Merrill (D-Mansfield), co-chair of the budget-writing
Appropriations Committee expressed support for Quitline, but she too said
state spending for tobacco prevention must be meaningful. “Programs that
work—that’s the key phrase,” said Merrill, “because we want to make sure
that what we are funding is working.”
In this election year lawmakers will fund a host of initiatives to make
points with constituents. It will be interesting to see if anti-tobacco
programs find a spot near the top of the priority list.
Posted 1/14/07
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