Pending State Budget Cuts to Tobacco Prevention Programs is Bad News for New Jersey

Letter to the Editor
By Jack Elsmore
Tobacco Prevention Coordinator, Morris County Prevention is Key

As of June 30, 2010, funding for tobacco prevention and education programs through the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services’ (NJDHSS) Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) will come to an end due to state budget cuts. As a result, the dedicated educators who have been conducting tobacco prevention programs for many years throughout the state will likely be unable to continue providing free programs for schools, businesses, and other community organizations.

The fact is that the state of New Jersey collects around $750 million in cigarette taxes each year, yet only spends about $7 million on tobacco prevention and cessation programs. So where is all that money going, and why can’t some of it be used for tobacco prevention purposes? More importantly, what happens when the funding stops? Will smoking-related diseases increase in New Jersey as result? Will more kids start smoking at an early age because there is no one there to educate them or their parents about the dangers?

The need for programs like CTCP is clear. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, around 9,000 youth under the age of 18 become daily smokers each year in New Jersey alone. It gets even worse when you consider the whole picture of tobacco use in our state:

The Toll of Tobacco in New Jersey
• High school students who smoke: 15.8% (74,600)
• Male high school students who use smokeless or spit tobacco: 9.0% (females use much lower)
• Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home: 398,000
• Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year: 17.1 million
• Adults in New Jersey who smoke: 14.8% (981,900)

(Source: Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/settlements/toll.php?StateID=NJ)

As the Tobacco Prevention Coordinator at Morris County Prevention is Key, I have provided a program called “Smoke Signals” to over 30,000 youth and adults in Morris County in just two and a half years. When CTCP funds end on June 30, programs like Smoke Signals that help prevent and reduce tobacco use among youth and the community at large will be extremely difficult to sustain. I will still do volunteer work in Morris County trying to reach as many as I can, but without state funding, the fight to keep New Jersey smoke-free is in jeopardy – and so is our health. At this time all we can do is hope.

Morris County Prevention is Key (MCPIK) is a non-profit agency dedicated to promoting the health and well being of our community and to preventing substance abuse, addiction, violence and related issues through heightened awareness, advocacy, education programs, information, referral, and other services. MCPIK’s office is located at 25 W. Main St, Rockaway, NJ. For more information please contact us by phone 973-625-1998 or email info@mcpik.org or visit us on the web at www.mcpik.org.

Senior Wellness Education Seminar Kicks Off in Jefferson

The Wellness Initiative for Senior Education (WISE) Program celebrates healthy aging and educates older adults so they are less likely to experience problems associated with alcohol and medications and more likely to make positive lifestyle choices as they age.

We provide older adults with the information and resources they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and feel empowered about their health and the healthcare they receive.

The WISE Program was developed over the last ten years by the New Jersey Prevention Network (NJPN) and implemented locally by NJPN’s 19 member agencies throughout New Jersey. Implementation and evaluation efforts were made possible with support from the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Addiction Services and the Northeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technology (NECAPT) Service to Science Program.

A new WISE program is kicking off Friday, May 7 in the Jefferson area. If you or someone you know are interested in participating in WISE, please contact Barb Kauffman at Morris County Prevention is Key, 973-625-1998 or bkauffman@mcpik.org.