Tobacco Use: Monitoring Tobacco Control Programs
Monitoring individual behavior is important, but is not sufficient, for understanding all the dynamics of tobacco
control. Social and environmental forces exert a strong influence on whether and how much people use tobacco. Tobacco
control efforts are funded and carried out primarily at the state level, and we actively monitor the progress of these
efforts. Here is some of what we've learned.
Cigarette Smoking Prevalence & Policies in 50 States
A 2009 chartbook, released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and Bridging
the Gap, an RWJF-funded, nationally recognized research program, presents state and
national data on tobacco prevalence, policies implemented to diminish that prevalence, and
programs and policies to help smokers quit. Key findings from the report, Cigarette Smoking Prevalence and
Policies in 50 States: An Era of Change (available at
http://www.impacteen.org/chartbooks.htm ),
using data covering a period of 16 years from NCI's Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current
Population Survey (TUS-CPS) include:
- Between 1992/93 and 2006/07, the percentage of U.S. adults living in smoke-free homes
increased by 84 percent, from 43.1 percent in 1992/93 to 79.1 percent in 2006/07.
- In 1992/93 only 46.1 percent of indoor workers reported having a smoke-free policy at
work. In 2006/07, 75 percent of indoor workers had a smoke-free policy in their
workplace.
- Across all states, cigarette excise tax revenues increased from $10.35 billion in
fiscal year (FY) 2002 (adjusted to April 2008 dollars) to an estimated $15.25 billion in
FY 2007, an increase of 47 percent.
Additional Data
- In 2006-07, nearly 75.3 percent of the US workforce worked under a smoke-free policy,
but this percentage varies widely among states. Also during that time, 79.1 percent of
people ages 18 and older reported that smoking is not allowed in their home. These
represent significant increases since 1992-93 but indicate that there is still room for
improvement. Females and persons in the Northeast are more likely to work in smoke-free
work environments.
- Results from the 1992-93 Tobacco Use Supplement
to the Current Population Survey had suggested that there was broad support among
Maryland residents for restrictions on smoking in the workplace. In 1994, the Maryland
Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) advisory board proposed a complete smoking ban in
most Maryland workplaces to protect Maryland workers from the documented health risks
associated with environmental tobacco smoke exposure. Maryland was ranked seventh in the
country in reports of smoke-free workplaces by indoor workers, according to the 2001-02
Tobacco Use Supplement.
- North Carolina Legislature Takes Historic Stand for Smoke-Free Air. North Carolina Is
First Tobacco-Growing State to Make All Restaurants and Bars Smoke-Free. The bill was
signed into law on May 19, 2009. We applaud the North Carolina legislators who championed
this legislation, including bill sponsors Representative Hugh Holliman and Senator Bill
Purcell, as well as the North Carolina Alliance for Health. The smoke-free law will take
effect on January 2, 2010.
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