State Tobacco Revenues Compared with Tobacco Control Appropriations—United States, 1998–2010

May 25, 2012 / Vol. 61 / No. 20

MMWR Highlights

Tobacco-Related Revenues and Investments in Tobacco Control Programs

• From 1998 through 2010, states collected a combined total of $243.8 billion in settlement and cigarette excise tax revenues.
• During this period, states have invested only $8.1 billion in state tobacco control programs.
• CDC's Best Practices guide recommended state investments of $29.2 billion over that period.
• The ratio of states' tobacco-related revenue to states' investments in tobacco control investment was 30–to–1 from 1998 through 2010 and 37–to–1 in 2010.

Trends in Tobacco-Related Revenues and Investments in Tobacco Control Programs

• Total state and Federal investment in state tobacco control efforts increased from $262.3 million in 1998 to $820.9 million in 2002.
• Since 2002, state investments in tobacco control have declined, with overall funding reaching $641.1 million in 2010.
• The 2002 investment—the largest in U.S. history—were only 51% of the CDC's minimum Best Practices recommendation, while the 2010 investment were only 17.3.