AUGUSTA – Almost 20,000 Maine kids will never start smoking and more than 6,000 of them will not die prematurely thanks to the state’s no-smoking efforts.
That’s the conclusion of a new study in the American Journal of Public Health, which also concluded the state will save $238.4 million in smoking-related health care costs.
The study was done by the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan, and is the first to estimate the benefits of various efforts by states to discourage smoking.
For Maine, the study found it will mean 19,870 Maine kids now under 18 will not start smoking and 6,350 of those will not die prematurely from smoking.
For three years in a row Maine has ranked first in the nation for funding smoking prevention efforts, and is only one of three states – along with Mississippi and Delaware – to meet the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommendations on spending tobacco settlement money.
Most states don’t spend even minimum settlement amounts to prevent smoking, and instead use the money to fix roads or plug budget shortfalls. By contrast, Maine lawmakers have been protective of the funds, ensuring that some settlement money reduces smoking, said Dr. Lani Graham, acting director of the state Bureau of Health.
This year Maine is receiving $49.9 million from the tobacco settlement, and is spending $15.3 million on prevention, about 28 percent. The CDC recommends Maine spend at least $11.2 million. However, when state cigarette tax revenue and settlement money is combined, Maine only spends 10 percent on prevention, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
If other states spent the CDC-recommended minimum amounts of their settlement money on prevention, the study concluded that nationally, 2 million children now alive would never smoke and 624,650 would not die prematurely from smoking.
State officials were delighted Thursday that the study showed Maine is preventing smoking-related deaths. Experts have long known that prevention programs work, “but it’s nice to get a better picture on what it’s going to mean for Maine people,” Graham said. “I’m tremendously pleased.”
Gov. John Baldacci said Thursday that he is “very proud” and remains committed to spending a good percentage of the tobacco settlement money on prevention. His upcoming budget proposes spending 31 percent of settlement money to fight smoking.
Less than a decade ago, Maine had the highest percentage of youth smokers among all states. Today 20.5 percent of Maine high schoolers smoke, a 48 percent drop from 1997, which puts Maine at the national average, Graham said. Statewide, 23.6 percent of adults smoke.
Maine is fighting smoking in a number of ways, Graham said, through using newspaper, radio and television advertising; giving money to schools and communities to fund their own programs; starting a statewide support hot line for smokers trying to quit; and passing laws that prohibit indoor smoking.
“And we can’t underestimate the increase in the tax,” Graham said. Cigarette taxes in Maine doubled from 37 to 74 cents in 1998, then went to $1 a pack in 2001. “Teens in particular are sensitive to increases in price,” she said.
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