U.S. State and Local Issues

Spending on Tobacco Prevention: Illinois

Last updated November 29, 2011

  FY2012 FY2011
State Rank 33 35
State Spending on Tobacco Prevention $9.5 million $9.5 million
% of CDC Recommended Spending
($157.0 million)		 6.1% 6.1%

Illinois
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 allocates $9.5 million a year for tobacco prevention and cessation. This is 6.1% of the CDC's recommendation and ranks Illinois 33rd among the states in the funding of tobacco prevention programs. Illinois's spending on tobacco prevention amounts to 1.1% of the estimated $856 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 FY2012 budget allocated $9.5 million in state funding for tobacco prevention, the same amount that was allocated in FY2011, but just a fraction of what was allocated to the program at the start of the settlement. While Illinois does fund several important tobacco control programs, the state is not pursuing a CDC-based statewide comprehensive program and the use of these funds is not consistent or coordinated. State funds are designated to a state Quitline, to the Department of Public Health programs, and to local health departments for prevention and cessation activities. In recent years, tobacco prevention funds were not made available for use until mid-year, which resulted in programs that were either interrupted or ended prematurely, dramatically impacting their effectiveness. Equally disappointing, is the lack of direct program funding to the state Department of Public Health IDPH. In previous budgets, the General Assembly has allocated $5 million in tobacco settlement funding to IDPH. While these funds could be used to coordinate a statewide evaluation campaign or for implementation of the state clean indoor air law and/or surveillance, more than half of this money has been diverted to non-tobacco programs. As a result, opportunities for worthwhile programming were missed and funds were lost.

In addition, Illinois is receiving $1.9 million in federal funds dedicated to tobacco prevention and control:

  • $1.1 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a 12-month grant for the period beginning April 2011 (from annual appropriations).

  • $710,767 from the Food and Drug Administration for enforcement of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, including the provision regarding tobacco sales to minors.