The State of Tobacco Control report revealed that there has been significant progress in the work to fend tobacco use across the country. However, Virginia ranked as one of the worst states in prevention, receiving almost all Fs across the report.
Products like e-cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products are creating concern for the next generation.
The report is broken down into five different categories:
- Tobacco Prevention and Control Program Funding
- Smoke-Free Air
- Tobacco Taxes
- Access to Cessation Services
- Flavored Tobacco Products.
The report found that Virginia earned failing grades on passing policies to reduce and prevent tobacco use, including e-cigarettes.
Aleks Casper, the director of advocacy at the American Lung Association says, “Virginia still ranks as one of the lowest states in our report card, having received all F’s and a D. I will say there has been some improvement in the access to sensation services. So ensuring that smokers that want to make that quit attempt, have access to a comprehensive suite of services.”
Virginia covers all seven medications used to help quit smoking. These include NRT gum, patch, lozenge, Bupropion, and Varenicline. NRT inhaler and nasal spray coverage vary by plan. Coverage of individual counseling also varies by plan.
In Virginia, in the last 20 years, lawmakers have made strides to reduce tobacco use by raising the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21. However, the adult smoking rate is still at 13.6% and the high school tobacco use rate is at 22.5%.
According to the American Lung Association, these percentages reveal a big problem. The association is talking to legislators about tobacco retail licensing. Currently, in Virginia, you don’t have to be licensed to sell a tobacco product. This means there is no way of knowing who is selling these products in Virginia and if they are abiding by the law.
“If you want to get your hair cut, the person who is providing that service to you has to have a license. But someone who is selling a deadly product in the state doesn’t need to have a license. It is an interesting thing to look at and Virginia is one of 9 states that doesn’t have a licensing structure in place,” says Casper.
To improve the report in the Commonwealth, the association recommends requiring retailers to obtain a license to sell tobacco products. They also suggest increasing the cigarette tax by at least $1 per pack and creating an equal tax between cigarettes and other tobacco products. The last thing they suggest is putting more funding towards prevention.
For a look at the full report, click here.