Mississippi

Summary: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Mississippi spend $39.2 million a year to have an effective, comprehensive tobacco prevention program. Mississippi currently receives $11.7 million a year for tobacco prevention and cessation, which includes both state and federal funds. This is 29.8% of the CDC's recommendation and ranks Mississippi 18th among the states in the funding of tobacco prevention programs. Mississippi's spending on tobacco prevention amounts to 4.6% of the estimated $256 million in tobacco-generated revenue the state collects each year from settlement payments and tobacco taxes.

Recent Developments: : Under a court order issued in December 2000 by the Jackson County Chancery Court, the court with jurisdiction over Mississippi's tobacco settlement agreement and subsequent litigation, $20 million of Mississippi's annual settlement payments were directed to the tobacco prevention program launched by the parties and the Court in 1997. Under a 1999 law, the rest of the annual settlement payments were deposited into a Health Care Trust Fund, with interest available for expenditure only for health care purposes. The state tobacco prevention program, run by the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, was highly successful at reducing youth smoking rates. However, Governor Haley Barbour (R), the state Division of Medicaid, and the Health Care Trust Fund filed motions to vacate the 2000 order and direct the $20 million away from tobacco prevention and into the fund. In May 2006, citing the lack of agreement between the legislative and executive branches regarding funding for tobacco prevention, the Jackson County Chancery Court granted the Governor and Treasurer's motion, denying the tobacco prevention programs access to further funding. In June 2007, the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the December 2006 order from the Jackson County Chancery Court that determined only the Mississippi Legislature could appropriate funds to tobacco prevention programs. In FY2009, Mississippi spent $10.7 million in federal and state funds for tobacco prevention programs.

Mississippi is spending minimal amounts on tobacco prevention despite the fact that the state is receiving more tobacco-generated revenue than ever before as a result of a 50-cent cigarette tax increase in 2009, bringing Mississippi's tax to 68 cents a pack.

Combined with funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, total spending on tobacco prevention and cessation for FY2010 will be $11.7 million, slightly more than what was spent in FY2009.