2000 Program Report
Executive Summary
Oregonians Demanding
Action Against Tobacco:
Ballot Measure 44
In November 1996, Oregonians passed ballot measure 44. The initiative not only increased the tax on tobacco products, it also dedicated a portion of the increase in revenue to tobacco prevention and education. In a decisive manner, despite the best efforts of the tobacco industry and millions of its dollars, voters both voiced their concern about the destructive nature of tobacco use and provided a solution.
DECLINING CONSUMPTION
National data exclude Arizona,
California, Massachusetts,
and Oregon, states which
have had statewide
tobacco control programs
since at least 1997.
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By earmarking a portion of the funds to preventing tobacco use, Oregonians in 1997 began the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program (TPEP). Now, Oregon's program is paying huge dividends, and has become a national model.
DELIVERING RESULTS
As U. S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher says, "We now know what works. We just need to do it." Since the passage of measure 44, Oregon has done it. The Tobacco Prevention and Education Program has brought dramatic change over the past three years. Compared to 1996, fewer cigarettes are sold, fewer adults are smoking, fewer young people are smoking, and lives and dollars are being saved.
- 41% fewer 8th grade smokers
- 21% fewer 11th grade smokers
- 75,000 fewer adult smokers
- 1,300 fewer women smoking during pregnancy
- One billion fewer cigarettes sold per year
And, for each year that we maintain the current program success:
- Over 1,200 lives saved in Oregon's future
- $300 million saved in Oregon's future.
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RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Oregon's decline in youth
tobacco use is about double
the national decline. |
INVESTING WISELY
Oregon's investment in tobacco prevention is about $8.5 million per year. Considering $300 million is saved for each year the program is maintained, Oregon is receiving an economic return on its investment of over $30 for each dollar spent. Add to that the reduced suffering from tobacco-related disease and death.
Oregon's Model Approach is Working
Hailed as a national model by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now being replicated by other states, Oregon's successful program attacks the problem of tobacco use with a comprehensive approach, from three specific fronts:
1. Reducing Youth Tobacco Use:
Schools, coalitions, tribes, and multicultural groups all use strategies proven to reduce youth tobacco use. An effective media campaign underpins these strategies.
2. Helping People Quit:
Most users want to quit. The program offers cost-effective cessation support services (the Oregon Quit Line), promotes cessation through media campaigns, and collaborates with healthcare partners to enhance the availability and use of existing cessation services.
3. Protection From Secondhand Smoke:
The program supports community-level efforts to encourage workplaces and homes to go smokefree, and to identify and implement local policy measures that both protect people from secondhand smoke and help smokers succeed in quitting.
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DOING WHAT WORKS
The program comprehensively approaches the above three objectives through proven program components, funded during 1999-2001 at $17.73 million. Those funds are used as follows: |
Local Coalitions (36%):
Local coalitions in every county engage community members and organizations in the effort to reduce tobacco use.
School-based Programming (11%):
School-based programs in over 300 schools reach one-third of Oregon's students.
Multicultural / Tribal Programming (6%):
Six multi-cultural organizations and all nine federally recognized tribes attack the problem with strategies that are designed for their communities.
Oregon Tobacco Quit Line (14%):
A national model for cost-effective cessation services, available statewide. Public Awareness & Education (16%): A media campaign that has reached 96 percent of Oregonians with powerful messages.
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Training & Materials (2%):
Building capacity through statewide training and educational materials.
Innovative / Demonstration Programs (5%):
Investigate and undertake new potential strategies to reduce tobacco use.
Evaluation (5%):
An independently verified program to monitor results and help design programs that work.
Program Coordination (5%):
Coordinating all the efforts to assure that they work together for maximum benefit.
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CONTINUING EFFORT
We've made tremendous strides. Although there are 75,000 fewer smokers, there still remain almost 500,000 Oregonians who smoke, of whom three out of four want to quit. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death. Secondhand smoke exposure is still a reality for a third of Oregon's workers. Youth are still able to purchase tobacco from retailers. And as consumption declines, tobacco tax funding for the program will likewise decline, meaning that this hard-won progress could be at risk. |
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