Summary: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Pennsylvania spend $155.5 million a year to have an effective, comprehensive tobacco prevention program.  Pennsylvania currently receives $33.2 million a year for tobacco prevention and cessation, which includes both state and federal funds.  This is 21.4% of the CDC's recommendation and ranks Pennsylvania 26th among the states in the funding of tobacco prevention programs.  Pennsylvania's spending on tobacco prevention amounts to 2.4% of the estimated $1.37 billion in tobacco-generated revenue the state collects each year from settlement payments and tobacco taxes.

Recent Developments: Pennsylvania's allocation of tobacco settlement money is governed by a 2001 law that dedicated 12 percent of the state's annual settlement payments to tobacco prevention.  Under the law, settlement funds must still be appropriated annually through the regular budget process and the Department of Health is required to distribute 70 percent of its tobacco prevention and cessation funding to local programs and 30 percent of its funding to statewide programs.

Combined with funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, total spending on tobacco prevention and cessation for FY2009 will be $33.2 million, about the same as the $33.1 million spent in FY2008.