obacco use takes a huge toll in health, lives and money on every state in the nation. Tobacco-related health care bills cost the states and taxpayers billions of dollars each year under Medicaid and other state-funded health care programs. The good news is that state and local governments can reduce tobacco use, save lives and save money by implementing proven solutions to the problem. The solutions include:

Well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs: The states collect nearly $22 billion a year in tobacco-generated revenue from tobacco taxes and the 1998 state tobacco settlement. Just seven percent of this tobacco money would be enough to fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs in every state at levels recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Unfortunately, only three states - Maine, Delaware and Colorado - currently fund prevention programs at CDC-recommended levels. Learn more from our annual report, A Broken Promise to Our Children: The State Tobacco Settlement Eight Years Later.

Higher Tobacco Taxes: Higher tobacco taxes are a win-win-win solution for the states: A health win that reduces smoking and saves lives; a fiscal win that raises much-needed revenue; and a political win that is popular with the public. Learn more from our Special Report on Tobacco Taxes.

Smoke-Free Workplaces and Public Places: Secondhand smoke is scientifically proven to cause lung cancer, heart disease and serious respiratory illnesses and is responsible nationally for thousands of deaths each year. That’s why a growing number of states and communities are passing comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws that protect everyone’s right to breathe clean air. Learn more from our Special Report on Smoke-Free Workplace Laws.