U.S. State Prevention and Cessation Programs
Comprehensive and well-funded state tobacco prevention and cessation programs prevent kids from using tobacco, help people quit and serve as an important counter to tobacco companies that are spending huge sums promoting their deadly and addictive products. Research demonstrates that tobacco prevention and cessation programs can save lives and money.
Comprehensive and well-funded state tobacco prevention and cessation programs prevent kids from using tobacco, help people quit and serve as an important counter to tobacco companies that are spending huge sums promoting their deadly and addictive products. Research demonstrates that tobacco prevention and cessation programs can save lives and money.
Most States Fall Short of Adequately Funding State Programs
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established Best Practices for state tobacco control programs. Unfortunately, most states are falling short in funding these effective programs.
- This year, the states will collectively spend $728.6 million on tobacco prevention and cessation programs - just 22% of the total funding recommended by CDC.
- States are spending just a fraction (3.4%) of the $22 billion they collect each year from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes.
Broken Promises to Our Children
Since the states settled their lawsuits against the major tobacco companies in November 1998, our organizations have issued annual reports assessing how well the states have kept their promise to use a significant portion of their tobacco settlement funds to address the enormous health and financial toll of tobacco use in the United States.
Tobacco Prevention Programs Work
The states lack excuses for failing to do more given their huge sums of tobacco revenue and the extensive evidence that tobacco prevention programs are highly effective. The evidence is clear: The more states spend on these programs, and the longer they do so, the greater the impact.
Tobacco prevention programs reduce smoking. States with sustained, well-funded prevention programs have cut youth smoking by more than 90 percent.
Tobacco prevention programs save lives. California, with the nation’s longest-running prevention and cessation program, has reduced lung and bronchus cancer rates four times faster than the rest of the U.S. Washington state estimates that its smoking reductions have prevented 13,000 premature deaths.
Tobacco prevention programs save money. California has saved billions of dollars in health care costs from reductions in smoking and Minnesota’s long-term investment in comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation has saved approximately $5.1 billion in productivity losses and medical care costs.
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Last updated July 6, 2026