June 29, 2004

Contacts:
Brian Peterson, 530.897.4140, brian@chico.com
Paul Knepprath, 916.442.4446, pknepprath@alac.org
Andrew Weisser, 818.703.6444, aweisser@earthlink.net
www.californialung.org

Most Local Tobacco Settlement Funds Not Spent on Tobacco Prevention

New Survey of California Counties Finds Few Spending Money on Tobacco-Related Programs

(June 29, 2004, Sacramento, CA): A recent survey by the American Lung Association of California's Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing found that 64 percent of California's counties do not spend any of the funds they receive from the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) on tobacco use prevention or cessation programs.

According to the survey, tobacco use prevention and cessation ranks among the counties lowest priorities. Only seven percent of the counties spend between 25-50 percent of their MSA dollars on tobacco prevention and cessation, with 30 percent of the counties spending between one to 25 percent.

But Brian Peterson, Director of the Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing, cautions the actual dollars going to tobacco control may be much lower.

"In many cases, we had to rely on spending data reported by county administrative offices. Often they could not tell us specifically what tobacco prevention programs were receiving the money just that some amount was being spent on 'health related' programs. So it is likely our results overestimate how much money is actually going to tobacco control efforts."

The multi-state tobacco settlement is the result of lawsuits filed by four cities (San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose and San Francisco) and the state of California as well as several other states against four major U.S. tobacco companies.  The settlement agreement requires these and other signatory tobacco companies to provide California with approximately $25 billion over 25 years.  Half of California's settlement dollars are available for the state and the other half is split between the four cities and the state's 58 counties.  The MSA does not specify how the settlement funds are to be appropriated, whether at the state or local level.  Therefore, decision makers in the 58 counties and four cities determine how these millions of MSA dollars are spent.

Peterson adds, "It's very discouraging that more counties are not investing these hard-fought tobacco settlement dollars to prevent illness save lives. Tobacco settlement funds should be wisely invested into programs to prevent young people from starting to smoke and help adults quit smoking."
The entire survey is available on the Center's website at www.californialung.org/thecenter.

The Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing is a project of the American Lung Association of California and is funded by the Tobacco Tax Health Protection Act of 1988 - Proposition 99, under grant #99-85066 with the California Department of Health Services, Tobacco Control Section.

The American Lung Association has long funded vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. It is the foremost defender of the Clean Air Act and laws that protect citizens from secondhand smoke. The Lung Association teaches children the dangers of tobacco use and helps teenage and adult smokers overcome addiction. It educates children and adults living with lung diseases, including asthma, emphysema and tuberculosis, on managing their condition. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is "Improving life, one breath at a time." For more information about the American Lung Association or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or visit www.californialung.org.