The investment by the state legislature to the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Program has been put to good use. Since the program started operating in 2000, there has been significant success.
- Middle school smoking has dropped by 33%
- High school smoking has dropped by 36%
- Adult smoking has dropped by 14%
In short, the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Program is proving effective by every objective.
There is More Work to Do - Since Wisconsin has historically had such high smoking rates, these decreases only put us on par with other states. Despite great effort, 21% of our high school students still smoke.
- Pregnant women smoking rates have declined in Wisconsin, but are still among the highest in the nation. Smoking during pregnancy is 14% in WI and 10% in US.
- By investing in the work to decrease smoking rates among pregnant women, one can see significant savings in health care and improved health among infants.
- The Wisconsin Quit Line has helped over 50,000 callers, and saved over $42 million in healthcare costs in just five years.
- The majority of smokers want to quit. Wisconsin's nationally recognized model is hindered only by the amount of resources available.
The more states spend on tobacco prevention, the greater the reductions in smoking. The longer states invest in such programs, the larger the impact.
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Investing in Wisconsin's Future - Gains will continue to be made only if Wisconsin continues to invest in tobacco prevention and control.
- Currently, the State Legislature and the Governor invest $15 million per year in the program. This is a fraction of the Centers for Disease Control's recommended level of $64 million.
- In contrast, the tobacco industry spends $247 million per year marketing their products in Wisconsin.
- States with the best funded and most sustained tobacco prevention programs during the 1990s - Arizona, California, Massachusetts and Oregon - reduced cigarette sales more than twice as much as the country as a whole (43 percent compared to 20 percent).
A fully funded tobacco control program ($64 million) is the most effective way to reduce the burden of tobacco on all Wisconsin citizens.
For more information please visit
SmokeFree Wisconsin.
