Washington Communities for Tobacco Prevention Spokane Regional Health District Board of Health September 27, 2012.

Washington Communitiesfor Tobacco Prevention

Spokane Regional Health District Board of Health

September 27, 2012

Presentation Overview

1. Tobacco background2. Youth Access to Tobacco Law3. Preemption4. Where are we in 2012?5. Benefits of Local Control

Tobacco in Washington state

• Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in Washington– 7,600 deaths a year– Costs the state $1.6 Billion

• Demographic disparities persist

Tobacco in Spokane County

• In 2010, one in ten adolescents smoked, nearly 1 in 5 adults smoked

• Teen smoking rate did not decreased between 2005 and 2009, adult smoking rate decreased significantly

• The proportion of youth and adult smokers in Spokane County was significantly higher than that of Washington State

Tobacco Prevention and Control: A Winnable Battle

Proven interventions reduce public health impact (taxes, clean indoor air policies). The three objectives are:

1. Protecting people from secondhand smoke– There is no safe level of exposure (Surgeon General 2010)

2. Helping people quit– Nearly 70% of smokers want to quit

3. Preventing youth from starting to use tobacco– 90% of adult smokers started before they were 18 years old

Washington is a leader in Tobacco Prevention and Control

Youth Access to Tobacco Law

Created by the Legislature in 1993:• Restrictions on coupons, vending machines, sampling• Requires retailers to be licensed to sell tobacco

products (license costs $93)• Penalties for selling to minors• Preempts local governments from making tobacco

regulations related to marketing and sales

What is preemption?• A provision in state law which eliminates the power

of local governments to regulate tobacco• A tobacco industry tactic to shift the tobacco control

battle away from communities to the state legislature, where its lobbyists are more influential

• Found in many areas of public health including obesity prevention, violence and injury prevention, etc.

Preemption is a tool of the Tobacco Industry

• Results in fewer restrictions on smoking and tobacco marketing and sales

• Halts local policy activity; ends public discussion, education and social norm change

• Decreases enforcement activity

Where are we in 2012?

• Funding virtually eliminated• Youth still starting to smoke• New authority because of FDA law• Policy is low-cost, high impact• Build on previous efforts• Tobacco Industry still tricking our kids

Benefits of Local Control

Health orgs in support of defeating preemption in tobacco control

• American Cancer Society• American Heart Association• American Lung Association• American Medical Association• American Public Health Association• Americans for Non-Smoker’s Rights• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials• Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention• The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences• National Association of County and City Health Officials• National Association of Local Boards of Health• The State Attorneys General Working Group on Tobacco • United States Department of Health and Human Services

If preemption is repealed, what can community health leaders do?

• Discuss their local tobacco issues to determine if there are policy solutions they want to consider

• Local policy examples in places without preemption:– Tobacco Free Pharmacies in San Francisco– Flavored alternative tobacco restrictions in NYC and

Providence, RI– Single cigar sales prohibitions in Huntington Park, CA

(population 58,329)

Thank You!

Joy Gilroy, [email protected]

206-905-7773