Amid federal anti-tobacco cuts, NYS gets 'F' for prevention programs

New York State is failing when it comes to funding tobacco prevention programs even as the federal government scales back its antismoking efforts, according to a new report from the American Lung Association released Wednesday.

The group gave the state an "F" grade on that issue, saying it needs to dip deeper into the $1 billion-plus it receives annually through tobacco settlement money and tobacco tax revenue.

The annual State of Tobacco Control report evaluates states and the federal government on several areas that it says prevents and reduces tobacco use. 

 New York's Tobacco Control Program receives about $42 million in funding: $39 million from the state and almost $3 million from the federal government through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 30,000 adults in New York die from cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke every year, according to the state Health Department. About 1.4 million adults smoke.

"Tobacco remains the No. 1 cause of preventable death and disease in New York," said Michael Seilback, assistant vice president of nationwide advocacy and state public policy at the American Lung Association in New York. "It’s imperative that the state stand in where the federal government has sort of turned their back on this work."

The state fared better in the other categories: "A" on the strength of smoke-free workplace laws, "B" for the level of state tobacco taxes and "B" on coverage and access to services to quit tobacco. It received a "D" grade for ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products.

The state Health Department “remains committed to protecting public health and supporting tobacco-free communities," spokesperson Danielle DeSouza wrote in an email to Newsday.

She noted the report highlight's New York's “strong smoke-free workplace laws, high tobacco taxes, and comprehensive cessation coverage.”

She said the report shows the state “remains a leader in tobacco control, with strong smoke-free workplace laws, high tobacco taxes, and comprehensive cessation coverage.”

A spokesman for the New York State Quitline, a program funded through the Tobacco Control Program, said it helps more than 30,000 tobacco users a year and has distributed more than 1.2 million kits of free nicotine replacement therapy medications since 2004.

"Thousands more have received assistance through our website (nysmokefree.com), Patient Referral Program, and texting programs," Tony Astran, communications manager for the quitline, told Newsday in an email. "The texting programs, in particular, are our latest tool and are gaining in popularity."

Last year, the HHS slashed funding and staff for anti-tobacco programs at the CDC and Prevention and U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

That caused the state to reduce staff at the Tobacco Control Program. Seilback said while some of the money was restored, the long-term outlook on federal tobacco control funding is unclear.

The American Lung Association also issued grades to the federal government, including a "D" for federal regulation of tobacco products and "F" for the level of federal tobacco taxes.

The HHS did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The Tobacco Control Program also funds community-level programs run by the American Lung Association and other groups on Long Island and throughout the state.

One example is the Reality Check program, a youth-led tobacco control education program at the Brentwood Freshman Campus. Next month students will travel to Albany to meet with legislators and discuss the impact of aggressive tobacco marketing in their community.

"Engaging them and giving them a voice is important because we know they are being targeted by big tobacco," said Meghan DuBois O’Connor, director of health promotions at the American Lung Association who oversees their grant programs in New York State.

Also, the Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island worked with the board of the Villas at Narragansett in Lindenhurst to adopt a smoke-free housing policy.

O’Connor said funding uncertainty has forced them to narrow their focus on people disproportionately targeted by tobacco advertisements — racial and ethnic minority communities, LGBTQ+, poorer people, those with mental health illnesses and youth.

"We make do with what we have and we continue to be successful," she said.

Seilback said while the group would like to see better funding from the state, they want to keep the pressure on the federal government as well.

"We are not resigned — we are still fighting to restore the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health," he said. "Hopefully, in the right spectrum of history, this will turn out to be a ripple, not when things permanently shifted."

By Lisa L. Colangelo

lisa.colangelo@newsday.com@lisalcolangelo

Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.