Welcome!
Welcome to NC for Health, a campaign of the NC Alliance for Health.
Keep the Promise to Protect NC Youth!
- The scientific evidence supports the effectiveness of and need for tobacco use prevention programs;
- The public supports funding these programs;
- The state has access to Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) funds to pay for these programs.
Tell the Governor and your Legislators
to Continue $17.3 million in Funding
for NC’s Successful Tobacco Use
Prevention and Cessation Efforts
Send an email now!
Last year’s state budget eliminated the Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF), which for nearly 10 years had used MSA dollars to fund the majority of NC’s tobacco prevention and cessation programs. The budget transferred $22 million of the remaining HWTF dollars as one-time funding to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for public health programs, including tobacco use prevention. DHHS allocated $17.3 million to tobacco prevention and cessation in FY2012, but this funding is currently non-recurring. All programs will end June 30, 2012 unless the General Assembly acts to continue these successful programs.
In addition, the U.S. Surgeon General recently released a report focused on the epidemic of tobacco use among young adults and the particular and devastating impact it has on the health of young people. The report concludes that:
- Young smokers are likely to experience substantial health risks that begin almost immediately, including early heart damage, reduced lung function and retarded lung growth;
- The younger kids are when they try tobacco, the more likely they are to get addicted and the more heavily addicted they will become;
- Ninety-nine percent of smokers started by age 26. Among youth who persist in smoking, a third will die prematurely from smoking;
- Tobacco product advertising and promotions still entice far too many young people to start using tobacco; and,
- Comprehensive, sustained prevention programs are the key to cutting youth tobacco use and keeping youth from starting to smoke in the first place.
The scientific evidence contained in this report demonstrates, beyond a doubt, that North Carolina’s tobacco use prevention programs must be maintained if we are going to protect our children and create a healthier future for our state.
North Carolina’s tobacco prevention and cessation programs work, have a successful track record and should be maintained. Since North Carolina first received MSA funding in 2002:
- Public schools in all 100 counties have gone tobacco-free;
- There are 53,000 fewer youth smokers in the state;
- The middle school smoking rate in North Carolina has been cut by more than half (from 9.3% to 4.3%), and the high school smoking rate has dropped by a third (from 27.3% to 16.7%), representing the lowest youth smoking rates in state history;
- 7,000 North Carolinians have ended their addiction to tobacco with the help of QuitlineNC; and,
- More than 225,000 college and community college students now attend classes on safer and healthier tobacco-free campuses.
Research shows that eliminating tobacco prevention programs can stall or even reverse this progress very quickly. Unless recurring funds are secured for tobacco cessation and prevention programs, more NC teens will become addicted to tobacco, and preventable health care costs will rise.
North Carolina can save more lives and continue to improve health, but to do so wemust continue to invest in these effective programs. Tell your lawmakersto support continued funding of $17.3 million for tobacco prevention programs!
Send your Message Now
Continue tobacco use prevention and
cessation funding in North Carolina
The letter below will be sent on your behalf to targeted legislators when you complete the registration form and click "Take Action":
Your name and address will be added automatically to the signature line so that the targeted legislator can reply to your correspondence.