Illinois' Anti-Smoking Efforts Earn Low Marks In New Report

ILLINOIS — While Illinois has made tremendous progress in reducing tobacco use among residents, a new report by the American Lung Association says lawmakers still have a long way go when it comes to fully embracing the importance of eliminating its use altogether and gives the state low marks overall.

More than 480,000 people die annually from a smoking-related illness, according to the American Lung Association’s 20th annual State of Tobacco Control report released Tuesday. The report evaluates states as well as the federal government and their efforts to curb one of the nation’s leading causes of preventable death.

This year’s report also looks back on work done in the past 20 years and what still needs to be accomplished.

Much work has been done. The adult smoking rate has dropped from 21.6 percent in 2003 to 14 percent in 2019. Twenty-eight states are now considered “smoke-free.” The average state cigarette tax is now $1.91 per pack compared with $0.62 in 2003.

However, a new generation of products — including e-cigarettes, vapes and flavored tobacco products — is threatening the progress made, according to this year’s report. Progress in states has been uneven. Significant racial, social and geographical disparities also still exist.

“While there have been some promising announcements and actions taken by FDA in 2021, unnecessary addiction, disease, and death could have been prevented by more assertive federal government action on flavored tobacco products,” the report reads.

Is Illinois making the grade when it comes to preventing and reducing tobacco use? That’s hardly the case, according to the report, which graded Illinois with two failing grades and said that tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the state.

In Illinois, the adult smoking rate stands at 12.7 percent, but the highest percentage of tobacco use is among high school students at 22.7 percent. The high school smoking rate is at 4.7 percent, the report says. The state reported 18,280 smoking-related deaths.

To calculate grades for each state, the American Lung Association compared state tobacco control policies to targets based on the organization’s criteria for effectively curbing tobacco use. Each state’s progress then received a grade of “A” through “F.” A grade of “A” is assigned for excellent tobacco control policies, while an “F” indicates inadequate policies.

Overall, Illinois earned the following grades on this year’s report:

• Tobacco prevention and control funding: F
• Smokefree air: A
• Tobacco taxes: C
• Access to cessation services: C
• Flavored tobacco products: F

The report said that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed several impactful bills that benefit tobacco use and prevention efforts. The Fiscal 2022 budget provides $4.1 million for the Tobacco Quitline, $5 million for local health department tobacco prevention program and $1 million to general tobacco use prevention programs, the report said.

The American Lung Association also evaluates efforts at a federal level. The United States earned the following grades:

• Federal regulation of tobacco products: D
• Cessation coverage: D
• Tobacco taxes: F
• Mass media campaigns: A
• Minimum age: Incomplete

The American Lung Association then laid out four key actions for the Biden administration and Congress to take this year that may help eliminate death and disease caused by tobacco use.

1) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration must not allow marketing of any product that fails to protect public health.

2) The Biden administration must propose and finalize rules to remove all menthol-flavored cigarettes and cigars from store shelves.

3) Congress must increase Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding to help states fight e-cigarette use among teens.

4) Health insurance plans, including Medicaid, must fully cover smoking cessation programs without barriers.

For more information on how to quit smoking or using tobacco products, the American Lung Association offers tools, tips, and support to help.