back to news Tobacco: State should avoid falling too low in anti-smoking education Dec 31, 2007 Our opinions Michigan faces many difficult financial decisions in its current climate. There are clearly more demands on state government than the incoming revenue will support. And the state has a Legislature that, to date, has not tackled the underlying causes of the structural deficit. It´s in this climate that Michigan can find itself being penny wise and pound foolish. An example of that is the miniscule funding Michigan provides for tobacco prevention education for children. A report underwritten by several agencies that fight tobacco use ranked Michigan 47th in the nation in its tobacco prevention education efforts. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Michigan remains one of the few states that has never formally dedicated funds from the tobacco settlement directly for tobacco prevention education. Under a 1999 law signed by then Gov. John Engler, Michigan puts 75 percent of its tobacco settlement money into merit scholarships and 25 percent toward Medicaid costs. The state collects a combined $1.4 billion annually in tobacco taxes it levies and in payments from the settlement. And for the year, it plans to spend $3.6 million on tobacco prevention education. That´s the sort of disparity that "A Broken Promise to our Children: the 1998 State Tobacco Settlement Nine Years Later" is meant to expose. The study also rates states on how close they come to providing the Centers for Disease Control´s recommended minimum amount for anti-tobacco education. The CDC says Michigan should spend between $54.8 million and $154.6 million on such programs. Again, this year Michigan will spend $3.6 million. Sadly, the state is not alone. Indeed, only three states – Delaware, Maine and Colorado – spend the minimum amount recommended by the CDC. Michigan is one of a dozen states that spend less than 25 percent of the recommended amount. Adding to the concern of the report writers was the decision this year to "securitize" some of the settlement money and use the lump sum payment received to help address the state´s budget deficit. Given the state´s financial distress, it would be unrealistic to think Michigan will suddenly come up with nearly $55 million to become a leader in anti-tobacco education for kids. But surely the state should do better than 47th. Michigan´s spending decisions reflect budget stress. Difficult short-term sacrifices may be necessary, but the state must be careful not to let areas such as youth health and education fall too low while it makes these painful decisions about priorities. back to news Sponsored by the Macomb County Tobacco Prevention Coalition, Macomb County Health Department. 586.469.5373. Disclaimer