State underspends on tabacco prevention

Published Thursday, December 18, 2008 8:30 PM MST

Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, the state ranks 11th in the nation in funding programs to protect young people from tobacco, according to a national report released by a coalition of public health organizations.

New Mexico currently spends $10.5 million a year on tobacco prevention programs, which is 44.9 percent of the $23.4 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Other key findings for New Mexico include:

• The tobacco companies spend $48 million a year on marketing in New Mexico. This is almost five times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

• New Mexico this year will collect $108 million from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 10 percent of it on tobacco prevention.

“New Mexico had made a modest investment in programs to protect kids from tobacco, but is currently spending less than half of what the CDC recommends,” said Matthew L. Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “On this 10th anniversary of the tobacco settlement, we call on New Mexico's leaders to keep the promise of the settlement and increase funding for tobacco prevention.”

The report warns that the nation faces two immediate challenges in the fight against tobacco use: complacency and looming state budget shortfalls. For more information, including the full report and state-specific information, can be obtained at www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements.

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