Summary: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Illinois spend $157.0 million a year to have an effective, comprehensive tobacco prevention program.  Illinois currently receives $9.5 million a year for tobacco prevention and cessation, which includes both state and federal funds.  This is 6.1% of the CDC's recommendation and ranks Illinois 43rd among the states in the funding of tobacco prevention programs.  Illinois's spending on tobacco prevention amounts to 1.0% of the estimated $913 million in tobacco-generated revenue the state collects each year from settlement payments and tobacco taxes.

Recent Developments: Illinois deposits its tobacco settlement money into the Tobacco Settlement Recovery Fund and appropriates it through the annual budget process. The FY2009 budget allocates $8.5 million in state funding for tobacco prevention — an amount unchanged in recent years and just a fraction of what was allocated at the start of the settlement. The bulk of Illinois settlement funds are used for senior prescription drugs and capital projects. While Illinois funds several important tobacco control programs, the state is not pursuing a CDC-based statewide comprehensive program. State funds are designated to a state Quitline, to Department of Public Health programs, and to local heath departments for prevention and cessation activities. The use of these funds is not consistent or coordinated. In most recent years, tobacco prevention funds were not made available for use until mid-year, resulting in programs that have been interrupted or ended, dramatically impacting effectiveness. Also, in past years, a portion of the funding reserved for the state Department of Public Health (IDPH) went unspent, including funds for tobacco prevention program evaluation. State government has also made it nearly impossible to track IDPH spending. A significant contributor to these problems is IDPH's multi-year failure to take the basic step of filling vacant tobacco prevention job openings.