On April 12, the state House voted to advance Senate Bill 120, which will disassemble the state’s comprehensive tobacco control program. Currently, SB 120 proposes to take $42 million by diverting the tobacco company payments to, and raiding the assets of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund over the next three fiscal years to balance the state’s budget deficit.

The leadership of our legislators is appreciated during these dire economic times. We ask for their help in keeping the trust fund intact. This blow to tobacco prevention funding will have a deep and lasting negative impact on the health of our community for generations to come. Investment in tobacco control makes economic sense due to the health care savings the state sees from having fewer smokers.

Hawaii’s comprehensive approach to tobacco prevention and control — developed over time and according to the Centers for Disease Control’s "Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs" — has proven to be one of the most successful public health initiatives in Hawaii’s history.

Since 2000, the Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund has invested a considerable amount of time, effort and resources into programs designed to help people stop smoking, or to keep our keiki from ever starting. The impact of these programs, both to the economy and to people’s lives, were dramatic and impressive by 2009:

» Hawaii saved $454 million in lifetime health care costs.

» There were 41,300 fewer smokers in Hawaii compared to 2000.

» The adult smoking rate has declined to one of the lowest in the nation.

» Smoking among high school students declined 54 percent, resulting in 6,500 fewer high school students who smoke.

» For every dollar spent on tobacco control in Hawaii, the state has saved more than $5 in lifetime health care costs.

Despite these successes, there are still 153,700 of Hawaii’s residents who use tobacco. Each year, smoking causes 1,200 deaths in Hawaii and costs the state $656 million in direct medical expenses and lost productivity. Native Hawaiians, Filipinos, other Asians and Pacific Islanders, the unemployed and people with lower income or education who have higher smoking rates than the state average disproportionately share the burden of tobacco.

The fight against tobacco is far from over. Continued and sustained funding is needed to help current smokers quit and prevent future generations from starting to smoke. If we do not remain vigilant in our tobacco prevention and control efforts, we know the unacceptable consequences. As Dr. Terry Pechacek from the Centers for Disease Control has noted: "The experiences of a number of states show that cutting funding for state tobacco control programs leads to rapid reversals of previous progress in reducing tobacco use."

We urge lawmakers to preserve Hawaii’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund for its intended purpose: to maintain a healthy, smoke-free Hawaii.