Maine exceeds CDC goal State kicking butts with tobacco funds

WASHINGTON – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that no state is as committed as Maine to stopping the smoking of cigarettes.

In fact, the organization says Maine spends nearly twice what the federal government would expect it to spend on its anti-smoking effort.

The CDC recommended that Maine spend about $11.2 million of its tobacco settlement funds on curbing smoking, the American Lung Association said in a study released Thursday. Maine allocated $18.8 million for prevention programs in 2001, more than $7.5 million above the recommended amount.

Besides Maine, only Minnesota and Indiana have earmarked more tobacco settlement funds for prevention and control than the CDC would like to see, the study said.

The state has extensive controls over clean indoor air, and regulates smoking in government buildings, private workplaces, schools, child-care centers and health facilities.

The only other state in New England that was doing better than expected is Massachusetts.

“Massachusetts is a referendum state, which means that when the public is making the decision on tobacco money, prevention programs move a lot quicker,” said Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, president of the American Legacy Foundation, which co-authored the study. “When it’s left up to the Legislature, tobacco can move right in.”

Maine, where more than 22 percent of residents smoke, ranked the highest in the country in terms of the amount of money it uses to curb smoking. Half of New England states did not use tobacco settlement money adequately to launch prevention and education programs.

New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut were among 21 states rated “poor” for not using the level of funding recommended by the CDC. Connecticut, the lowest-rated state in New England, used $1 million to fund prevention programs – well below the $21 million recommended for that state by the CDC.