By Samantha Dartt
As federal support for tobacco control vanishes, protecting public health from the harms of tobacco use now falls more heavily on our state and on communities like ours.
In recent months, we’ve watched in dismay as critical federal offices dedicated to reducing tobacco use, including the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and key staff at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, were dismantled due to sweeping budget cuts. These federal programs have supported states like New York in making real, measurable progress. In fact, thanks in part to this partnership, New York state has achieved record-low youth and adult smoking rates.
But our work is far from over.
In 2021, the New York state adult smoking prevalence rate was 12%. However, smoking rates vary significantly within each county in New York state, with counties such as Oneida (20.5%), Herkimer (19.1%) and Madison (18.6%) exceeding the states prevalence rate.
Use of e-cigarettes, or more commonly known as vapes, by youth in our community continues to remain a concern, with nearly one in five high school students using e-cigarettes. This isn’t just a statistic, it’s a warning sign. Vaping products, flavored tobacco and aggressive marketing from the tobacco industry continue to attract our youth and perpetuate addiction in our communities.
At BRiDGES, we’re proud to be a partner of the New York State Tobacco Control Program. Our work includes working with local businesses, multi-unit housing complexes and municipalities on establishing strong policies as well as educating and mobilizing youth and community members to help reduce the direct impact that Big Tobacco has on our communities. These are proven strategies that create healthier environments and reduce the deadly toll of tobacco.
Now more than ever, we can’t wait for Washington to act. With the loss of federal guidance and support, our local efforts are the front line of defense. And while New York state’s investment in tobacco control remains strong, even our state agencies have felt the impact of federal cuts with 13 staff members recently laid off from the Bureau of Tobacco Control due to these decisions.
We’ve come too far to let budget cuts derail our progress. We remain committed to community health and wellbeing despite the uncertainty at the federal level. Local action matters and our work, in partnership with the New York state Tobacco Control Program, continues to make a difference in our local communities. By strengthening policies, raising awareness and supporting healthier environments, we’re ensuring that our communities don’t lose ground in the fight against tobacco. The road ahead may be more challenging, but our mission remains the same: protect current and future generations from the harms of Big Tobacco.
BRiDGES offers smoking cessation services for individuals and groups in Madison County. Smoking cessation specialists help individuals interested in quitting smoking develop personalized plans to achieve their goals.
For more information, call BRiDGES at 315-697-3947. BRiDGES – Madison County Council on Alcoholism & Substance Abuse, Inc. is a nonprofit prevention agency. For more than 35 years, BRiDGES has been a leader in providing advocacy, resources and services to the community, workforce, families and individuals through prevention and intervention programs that promote change, strengthen families and build healthy communities. BRiDGES’ services have continued to evolve over time.
Samantha Dartt is community engagement lead coordinator, BRiDGES Tobacco Control Program. For more information, visit www.bridgescouncil.org.