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April 2, 2003 Contact: Bonnie Widerburg (503) 731-4180 Technical contact: Mel Kohn, M.D. (503) 731-4023 Oregon suspends successful tobacco prevention program this month Quit Line closes April 7, paid advertising suspended, staff laid off statewide This month’s suspension of Oregon’s tobacco prevention and education program will have an impact across the state, according to public health officials at the state Department of Human Services (DHS). Recent state legislation transferred $4,038,000 in tobacco tax proceeds, which pay for the program, to the state general fund to help balance the state budget for the remainder of the 2001-2003 biennium. "The first thing people may notice is that the toll-free Tobacco Quit Line is no longer operating," said Mel Kohn, M.D., state epidemiologist in DHS. "Beginning April 7, callers will hear a taped message and tobacco cessation counselors will no longer be available. Since it began in 1998, more than 60,000 people have called the Quit Line to seek help with quitting tobacco."In addition, Kohn said that the suspension impacts the equivalent of 80 full time employees on local and state levels. This includes people who work through county health departments, youth prevention programs in Oregon’s schools, grants to federally recognized Tribes and other diverse community organizations. The statewide tobacco prevention campaign of paid advertising will be discontinued April 30. "This comes on the heels of new data that shows Oregon is outpacing the national average for tobacco reduction," said Kohn. "Since 1996, overall cigarette consumption is down almost 30 percent and there are 75,000 fewer adult smokers. The number of youth who begin smoking has dropped from 30 to 20 a day. Oregon’s program has not only made a difference here, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention point to it as a model for other states." The tobacco prevention program currently saves Oregonians almost $40 million a year in direct medical costs, and $10 million of these savings are in the Oregon Health Plan, said Kohn. Kohn said that funding to resume the tobacco prevention program is included in the Governor’s recommended budget for 2003-2005, and that the governor and legislators are working together to craft a final budget. The money recently transferred to the general fund came from the Oregon Tobacco Use Reduction Account. This account was created in 1996 when Oregon voters increased tobacco taxes and dedicated 10 percent of the new revenue to tobacco prevention. Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in Oregon. According to DHS data, 18 people die every day in Oregon from tobacco-related disease.
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