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Current Fact Sheets

TOBACCO CONTROL APPROPRIATIONS

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health is presently funded at $98.4 million.

We support a FY2001 appropriation of $130 million. With additional funds, all states will have comprehensive tobacco control programs. CDC will develop a national public health education campaign and school health programs addressing youth tobacco use will be expanded.

Basic Facts About Tobacco Use

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease.

Tobacco use causes more than 430,000 deaths in the US each year and costs the Nation over $50-73 billion in medical expenses.

Tobacco use is addictive. Nearly 70% of smokers want to quite, but only 2.5% are able to quit permanently each year.

Most people begin using tobacco in early adolescence, typically by age 16. More than 3,000 young people start smoking each day. Among teens that are regular smokers, one in three will die from smoking.

If current smoking patterns continue, an estimated 25 million people alive today will die of tobacco related illnesses.

CDC's Tobacco Control Program

Currently, CDC funds basic tobacco control programs in all 50 States. CDC coordinates national health communications campaigns to educate the public on the health hazards of tobacco use. In addition, it provides technical assistance and training on planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating tobacco control programs.

CDC has identified research - tested school programs that can reduce adolescent tobacco use, but few schools currently use those programs. Increased funding could allow CDC to help build capacity at the national, state, and local levels to deliver effective school-based tobacco prevention programs that are part of comprehensive school health education and that are integrated into community-wide strategies for tobacco use prevention.

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