As state lawmakers begin to negotiate the annual budget, cancer survivors from across Pennsylvania are expressing concern that the state is falling behind in its efforts to meaningfully address tobacco use.
30% of cancer deaths in Pennsylvania are attributable to smoking, signaling the need for Pennsylvania to combat this disease through adequate prevention and cessation funding. Yet, tobacco prevention and cessation programs has been funded well below recommended levels for years, prompting concerns from cancer patients who are also worried about the uncertainty of ongoing federal tobacco control monies as well as the year-after-year decline in the state’s tobacco settlement dollars—funds designated, in part, for tobacco cessation and prevention.
Patient advocates are hopeful that Governor Shapiro and state lawmakers address the funding stagnation through the final budget and consider an increase in the state’s cigarette tax, which has remained unchanged since 2016, as a revenue source. This will, the advocates say, combat the nearly $343 million that Big Tobacco spends every year in the Commonwealth to market its products, often targeting young people.
Donna Kemberling of Danville lost her father to lung cancer when she was just five years old. While her memories of him are few, she cherishes the photos of him from her childhood. In every photo, her father is holding a cigarette. Now a cancer survivor herself, Kemberling has become a vocal advocate for tobacco cessation.
“People know that smoking is bad for them. But, oftentimes, when they resolve to quit, they don’t know where to turn, don’t know how to get the support they need,” said Kemberling. “Pennsylvania’s Tobacco Control Program is where people should be turning, but it’s underfunded and under-resourced. We need state leaders to invest in tobacco cessation so that people who are climbing uphill to quit can reach the summit and the healthy life that comes with it.”
Advocates with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) are proposing that, as state leaders negotiate on the budget, the Commonwealth furthers its investment in tobacco prevention and cessation through revenue generated from an increase to the state’s tax on tobacco products. By instituting a $1.50/pack increase in the state’s cigarette tax and establishing tax parity across all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, cigars, nicotine pouches and more, Pennsylvania can further discourage use, bring down health care costs and generate revenue for critical programs, like the tobacco prevention and cessation program.
“The risk of stagnating in our fight against tobacco must be fully understood,” said Donna Greco, government relations director for ACS CAN in Pennsylvania. “22,000 Pennsylvanians die from smoking each year, and flat funding won’t change that reality. Tobacco use costs Pennsylvania thousands of lives and billions of dollars each year. We must fully invest in the fact-based tools--tobacco taxes and prevention and cessation funding--that save lives.”
Tobacco use and tobacco-related illness are particularly prevalent in Pennsylvania’s rural communities. In his budget address, the governor signaled a need to address the unique needs of rural Pennsylvanians’ health, particularly following the sweeping cuts to Medicaid. Kemberling, Greco and the survivors who advocate alongside ACS CAN statewide see this comprehensive tobacco control agenda as compatible with the governor’s stated goals around rural health and hope the final budget prioritizes fact-based tobacco control policies.
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About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) advocates for evidence-based public policies to reduce the cancer burden for everyone. We engage our volunteers across the country to make their voices heard by policymakers at every level of government. We believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Since 2001, as the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN has successfully advocated for billions of dollars in cancer research funding, expanded access to quality affordable health care, and advanced proven tobacco control measures. We stand with our volunteers, working to make cancer a top priority for policymakers in cities, states and our nation’s capital. Join the fight by visiting www.fightcancer.org.