Oklahoma gets mixed grades in tobacco fight

While smoking rates have fallen to historically low levels nationwide, Oklahoma still needs to do more to fight tobacco use, the American Lung Association said in a report Wednesday.

The association’s annual “State of Tobacco Control” report, which grades each state and the federal government on anti-tobacco policies, gave Oklahoma mostly low marks, with an “F” for tobacco taxes and a “D” for funding tobacco prevention programs.

“Tobacco use is a serious addiction,” said Terri Bailey, executive director of the American Lung Association in Oklahoma. “And the fact that nearly 20 percent of adults in Oklahoma are current smokers highlights how much work remains to be done in our communities to prevent and reduce tobacco use.”

The Lung Association also gave Oklahoma a “D” for the lack of smoke-free workplace laws and an “F” for not requiring tobacco customers to be over 21 years old. The state, however, received a “B” for access to programs that help people quit using tobacco.

Nearly seven out of 10 smokers want to quit, according to the Lung Association. Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, killing more than 480,000 Americans each year.

Tobacco taxes are one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, not only among low-income individuals but also for youth, according to the Lung Association. An increase in price would prevent nearly 32,000 Oklahoma children from starting to smoke, prompt nearly as many adults to quit and prevent approximately 18,000 tobaccorelated deaths, the association estimated.

The group also called for a comprehensive smoke-free law to eliminate smoking in all public places and workplaces across Oklahoma.

“We know how to reduce tobacco use in this country,” Bailey said. “‘State of Tobacco Control’ looks at proven methods to save lives and protect the health of all Americans. Oklahoma elected officials must act to implement these proven policies, which will prevent tobaccocaused death and disease, and help keep our lungs healthy.”