New York State’s approach to tobacco control has garnered mixed grades in the American Lung Association’s recent State of Tobacco Control report. The state is grappling with significant healthcare costs and deaths due to smoking, with over $10 billion in healthcare costs and approximately 28,000 smoking-related deaths annually.
While New York has made strides in some areas, such as receiving an A for smoke-free air and a B in both tobacco taxes and access to cessation services, its efforts in tobacco prevention and cessation funding have been less successful, earning an F for the eighth consecutive year. Despite generating nearly $2 billion in tobacco-related revenue, New York falls short of the CDC’s recommendation to allocate over $200 million to tobacco control programs.
The state’s progress in reducing youth tobacco use is notable, with a decline from 30.6% to 20.8% among high school students between 2018 and 2022. However, the American Lung Association emphasizes that significant work remains, particularly in addressing flavored tobacco products, where New York received a D grade for failing to enact statewide legislation banning these products.
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