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Border & Immigration

Southwest States Receive Low Grades For Tobacco Control Efforts

By Tristan Ahtone / Poverty and Public Health Reporter
Published January 23, 2014 at 6:59 AM PST
This story was published more than 10 years ago.
A cigarette box with the Surgeon General's Warning is shown.
Debora Cartagena, CDC
A cigarette box with the Surgeon General's Warning is shown.

Southwest States Receive Low Grades For Tobacco Control Efforts
According to the American Lung Association, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas all received Fs for their tobacco prevention efforts. That’s primarily because the states aren’t spending amounts recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

According to the American Lung Association, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas all received Fs for their tobacco prevention efforts. That’s primarily because the states aren’t spending amounts recommended by the Centers for Disease Control.

Texas got the worst grades in the Southwest, including an F for smoke-free air and restrictions.

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Arizona received high marks with a C for the amount of taxes assessed on cigarettes - $2.00 a pack.

New Mexico received a B for its spending on smoking cessation coverage.

“New Mexico had the highest cessation grade in the country,” said the American Lung Associations JoAnna DeMaria. “That’s due to our extensive coverage by insurance plans and our investment per smoker for the quit line.”

New Mexico spends nearly $7 per smoker looking to quit, while on the other end, Nevada dropped about a dollar per smoker. The CDC recommends cessation programs spend about $10.50 per smoker.

Nationally, states averaged out to a D for tobacco prevention efforts.

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Tristan Ahtone
Tristan Ahtone is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. He’s also German and English and a few other dashes of European (just to make things more interesting). Before becoming a reporter, Tristan held a number of exciting jobs, such as door-to-door salesman, delivery driver, telemarketer, secretary, janitor, busboy, and office clerk to name a few. In 2006, Tristan graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts with a bachelors degree in Creative Writing. In 2008, he received a masters degree in broadcast journalism from the Columbia School of Journalism. Since 2008, Tristan has specialized in covering Native American, environmental and healthcare issues, and has worked with The Newshour with Jim Lehrer, National Native News, Frontline, Indian Country Today, Sirius Satellite Radio and NPR. Before moving to the southwest, Tristan worked as Morning Edition Host and Reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. He currently serves as KUNM's Poverty and Public Health Reporter.
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