Tobacco control program level funded
• Internet sales of tobacco products banned
• Age raised to sell tobacco products
• Urge legislators to maintain funding and protect Tobacco Trust Fund


Despite roadblocks and significant budget constraints, the priorities of the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont faired well in Vermont’s recently concluded legislative session. But we need your help to ensure future success.

Tobacco Control Program Funding:
The Tobacco Control Program was level-funded at $5,224,947. Though the Coalition pushed for an increase of $3.2 million in funding this session, we are very pleased that the current level of funding was maintained given the number of competing requests and programs in a tough economic year. This is a significant victory for the Coalition and will help the program to continue the great work that’s been accomplished already in helping to provide resources for smokers to quit and prevent others from picking up the habit.

Ban on (Internet) Delivery Sales of Tobacco Products:
In a great win for the Coalition, the Vermont Legislature passed legislation that will now prevent cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, little cigars and snuff from being sold to Vermont consumers by mail, phone or internet.

This legislation will help to deter the illegal sale of tobacco to underage youth as well as eliminate tobacco excise tax evasion. Pending the Governor’s action, this law will take effect on July 1, 2008.

Age Raised for Selling Tobacco:
The Vermont Legislature also took action to increase the age at which a person is able to sell tobacco products. Effective July 1, 2008, no person under the age of 16 will be able to sell tobacco products.

We Need Your Help!
Though we did fair well on some of our priorities, the Tobacco Trust Fund was eroded this year. Approximately $3.2 million in interest earned from the Trust Fund was used for FY2009 appropriations. But, of greater concern is the fact that for the first time, $650,000 was actually taken away from the principle of the Trust Fund to be used for another program.

We need you to contact your legislators to let them know the impact that raiding the Trust Fund will have on our State. The purpose of the Trust Fund is to provide a stable, long-term source of funding for the Tobacco Control Program. Lawmakers established the Trust Fund out of concern that annual settlement payments from the tobacco industry were not a reliable source of funding given ongoing lawsuits and economic forces within the tobacco industry. The intent was to annually invest a portion of the settlement funds into the Trust Fund. When enough principle accumulated in the fund, the program would be able to run from the interest. The goal was to ultimately not have to rely on the tobacco industry to fund our tobacco program.

Chipping away at the Trust Fund puts future funding of the Tobacco Control Program at risk. Urge your legislators to ensure that funding will be available to prevent Vermonters from smoking and have the resources to quit for years to come.

Please contact Tobacco Coalition Coordinator Tina Zuk if you would like additional information, talking points or help in writing letters to your legislators. Tina can be reach at 802-872-6350 or at tina.zuk@cancer.org.

Tobacco Tax Increase:
Though the Vermont Legislature did not take action to increase the excise tax on tobacco products this session, the tax will be increased soon as a result of 2006 legislation. Effective July 1, 2008:
• The cigarette tax will increase from $1.79 a pack to $1.99 a pack
• Little cigars will increase from $1.79 to $1.99 a pack
• Roll-your-own tobacco will increase from $1.79 to $1.99 per 0.09 ounce
• The tax on snuff will increase from $1.49 per ounce to $1.66 per ounce

Stay tuned!
The Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont will soon be planning is Legislative Priorities for the 2009 session. We will contact you this summer with details about those priorities and how you can help.

Click below to view the Coalition's 2008 priorities.

2008 Legislative Agenda and Program Recommendations

Evidence continues to mount supporting the critical role that comprehensive tobacco control programs play in keeping young people from starting to smoke, increasing the number of people who successfully quit, and decreasing exposure to secondhand smoke.

Although we know how to decrease the prevalence of smoking, funding for Vermont’s Tobacco Control Program continues to be inadequate. Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death in Vermont, causing over 900 deaths each year in Vermont alone. Many more suffer from smoking-related illness resulting in $197 million in productivity losses each year in Vermont. In addition, the cost of caring for people with smoking-related illness is $233 million a year, $72 million of which are Medicaid expenditures.

Tobacco Use in Vermont:
Tobacco use causes approximately 900 Vermont deaths each year. It is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in Vermont, killing more people than alcohol, AIDS, car accidents, illegal drugs, murders and suicides combined. An estimated 88,200 adult Vermonters (18%) smoke and 16% of youth in grades 8 through 12 identify themselves as current smokers. Ten percent of 12th graders are daily smokers. One-third of all tobacco users will die prematurely because of their addiction to tobacco. Treating smoking-related illness in Vermont costs $233 million every year, $72 million of which are taxpayer funded Medicaid expenditures. Smoking-related illness results in another $197 million in productivity losses each year.

Overview:
Vermont’s Tobacco Control Program is based on proven strategies and brings together partners from multiple state agencies, The Vermont Tobacco Evaluation and Review Board, healthcare providers, local community organizations and businesses to coordinate program efforts across the state.

Increased funding for Vermont’s Tobacco Control Program is necessary to ensure continued progress in the reduction of tobacco use in Vermont. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend spending a minimum of $10.4 million annually in Vermont for a comprehensive tobacco control program. Currently, Vermont spends only $5.2 million of the average $26 million it receives from the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) on its Tobacco Control Program. The Coalition for Tobacco Free Vermont calls for a 65% increase in MSA funding to $8.43 million for FY ’09.

This increase will fund a number of program improvements, including:
• Greater availability of free nicotine replacement therapy
• Expanding smoking cessation programs in mental health and substance abuse centers
• Creating a smoking cessation program targeted to pregnant women
• Improved programs for youth, community organizations and schools
• Expanded oversight of tobacco-related law enforcement
• Increased communication and public education

Facts and Background:
Vermont has made significant progress since the Tobacco Control Program began:
• The youth smoking rate has declined steeply from 31% in 1999 to 16% in 2005
• Smoking rates among adults have declined slightly, dropping from 21.5% in 2000 to 18% in 2006 in Vermont
• The adult smoking rate has been stalled at just under 20% for the past three years which demonstrates the need to fully fund Vermont’s Tobacco Control Program

• The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended minimum funding level for Vermont’s Tobacco Control Program is $10.4 million but Vermont currently spends only 65% of that minimum.
• The tobacco industry spends nearly $36 million annually--$100,000 per day—promoting tobacco use in Vermont.
• 20% of Vermont’s pregnant women smoke—one of the highest rates in the nation
• 40% of those receiving mental health services smoke
• 31% of low-income Vermonters smoke
• This recommendation is about one-third of the $26 million in regular payments that Vermont expects to receive from tobacco companies this year
• Tobacco use remains the single most preventable cause of death, disability and disease in Vermont.

Position:
The Coalition for Tobacco Free Vermont calls for a $3.3 million increase in MSA funding for Vermont’s Tobacco Control Program for a total of $8.43 in FY’09.

To combat this public health problem, Vermont has developed a comprehensive, science-based Tobacco Control Program aimed at reducing smoking rates by 50% by 2010, an ambitious but achievable goal. The Program is carefully designed to incorporate six Best Practices for Tobacco Control recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and integrates the efforts of public health professionals, educators, voluntary organizations, advocates and the public and private sectors. A Vermont bipartisan joint legislative study committee, in its 2002 report, strongly recommended continuing this program.

Vermont’s Tobacco Control Program consists of programs managed by the Vermont Departments of Health, Education and Liquor Control. These programs include:

• Cessation programs which combine immediate counseling and referrals for smokers at any phase in the quitting process as well as nicotine replacement or other drug therapy. This includes funding for the 24-hour VT Quit Line, 1-877-YES-QUIT.

• Media and public education efforts directly resist the aggressive tobacco industry advertising and promotion of tobacco products. The campaign also educates Vermonters about the health consequences of smoking and the resources available to help smokers quit smoking. It creates awareness of the tobacco industry tactics being used to promote use, especially among youth.

• Community programs to raise public awareness about the health issues related to tobacco use to keep young people from starting to smoke, linking people who want to quit with cessation resources and reducing the exposure of secondhand smoke in homes and workplaces. Local citizen coalitions develop, implement and evaluate these public health education initiatives.

• Comprehensive school programs to prevent youth from smoking by building a school climate in which youth smoking is contrary to social norms. This program works with schools to develop and implement tobacco policies, train teachers on prevention strategies and provide cessation services in the schools.

• Enforcement to ensure full compliance with all tobacco sales laws.

• Evaluation to measure progress toward achieving the goal of reducing tobacco use by 50 percent.

The funding of the Tobacco Control Program is a long term investment in the health of Vermonters.

While the Program components have only been operational since early 2000, it is too soon to measure long-term outcomes. However, early results are positive:

Reductions in Youth Smoking – The prevalence of smoking among Vermont high school students fell from 31% in 1999 to 20% in 2003. The percentage of 8th grade students who reported smoking decreased from 22% in 1999 to 13% in 2001.

Increased Use of Life Skills Curriculum – With Tobacco Settlement funds appropriated to the Education Department, the number of middle schools implementing Life Skills Curriculum (for prevention of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs) increased from 66 schools in 2000 to 186 schools in 2003.

Increased Use of the Smokers’ Quit Line – Increased spending on media and public education promoting the Quit Line has significantly increased its usage. Calls to the Quit Line this year (2004) increased by 46% from the previous year, including 1000 calls in May and June alone.

The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). For years, Vermont has expended $100’s of millions of dollars in health care costs caused by smoking-related illnesses. In 1998, Vermont joined a national civil action settlement to reduce the terrible burden exacted by tobacco on our families and communities. The Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) requires the major tobacco companies to make annual payments so that the states can recover their tobacco-related health care costs.

Vermont Law Enacted to Govern Investment of MSA Dollars. In response to the settlement, Vermont lawmakers took action to ensure those dollars are spent wisely. Public hearings were held throughout the state to hear how Vermonters wanted the settlement money utilized. Our law now dedicates the annual MSA payments primarily to (1) the Tobacco Control Program, (2) a Trust Fund to cover future Control Program costs, and (3) Medicaid health care services.

The Erosion of Funding for the Tobacco Control Program. So far, only 18% of the settlement funds have been directly allocated for tobacco prevention and control efforts in Vermont. Funding for the Tobacco Control Program has been cut almost every year since its inception. In FY’01, the Tobacco Control Program started with a $6.4 million appropriation, that was later reduced to $5.6 million. In FY’02, the Program was cut to $5.534 million. At the end of FY'02, the administration and the legislature used $2.2 million of the settlement funds that had previously been committed to ongoing tobacco control efforts, and instead applied these targeted tobacco litigation dollars to Vermont's general government deficit. The FY’03 budget appropriated $5.28 million to the Tobacco Control Program, but that was cut by $76,000 in August. In FY'04, the program receied $4.532 million. In FY'05, it received $4.668 million.

Health Gains at Risk. This trend of reducing funding to the Tobacco Control Program appears to be short-sighted. It costs Vermont lives and money. If Vermont is serious about reducing smoking and improving the health of Vermonters, it must make a sustainable financial commitment of MSA funds to the Tobacco Control Program. Otherwise, we put at risk the efforts and investments already made and will undermine the long term beneficial impacts of the program.

Investing and Saving MSA Dollars to Fund a Sustainable Effort is Key. A continued commitment to the Tobacco Trust Fund -- which was established by the General Assembly so that future control programs could be funded with a dedicated source and not rely on the general fund -- will preserve the wise investments we have already made in the health of our state.

The overwhelming majority of Vermonters stand with the wise decision to use MSA funds to fight tobacco’s serious adverse health and economic impacts. An October 2007 statewide poll of Vermont registered voters indicated that 86% of Vermonters say that tobacco prevention funding should increase or remain the same. Over 93% of Vermonters say they want at least Ľ of the MSA funds spent on prevention, including programs to discourage kids from smoking and to help smokers quit.

Prepared by the Coalition for a Tobacco Free Vermont

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