Senator Judy Lee: North Dakota Can Have Effective Tobacco Policies Without BreatheND
BreatheND has been the source of a great deal of misinformation.
A 2008 initiated measure resulted in establishment of BreatheND to utilize the additional money given to states who had participated in the lawsuit against tobacco companies. Those extra funds end in 2017. That does not, however, mean that the programs have been eliminated. ND will continue to receive the main payments from the Master Settlement Agreement because of a tax on cigarette sales.
The North Dakota Department of Health was solely responsible for anti-smoking programs before the creation of BreatheND, and they shared management of programs after the second agency was created. Funds now will be back in one agency, the Department of Health, with programs implemented through local public health units. Both Governors recommended this change in their budgets to streamline government and cut costs of administration.
[mks_pullquote align=”left” width=”300″ size=”24″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#000000″]The efficiencies created by combining efforts at the Health Department will permit funds to be spent on services, not administrators.[/mks_pullquote]
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommendations for state funding of tobacco programs, and North Dakota has been the only state that has fully funded all of them for the past several years. However, there are many other public health programs that are also effective, although they are not on the CDC list. The Quit Line, which has an excellent success rate, as well as visiting nurses who see at-risk mothers and babies, which may involve tobacco use, but other risky behaviors, too.
There is currently about $12 million of tobacco money which will be directed to the Department of Health for tobacco programs, and about 6 full-time equivalent employees will be funded, although the budget is not yet final. The CDC recommendations are being followed, and the tobacco prevention and cessation programs will continue to be evaluated to ensure that they are effective.
A Risky Behaviors survey is done by the state legislature every 2 years and includes data about such issues as alcohol and drugs in addition to tobacco use. It shows that in the 2015-2017 biennium, $144,657,242 total funds, which includes state and federal dollars, were appropriated to the Departments of Health, Corrections and Rehabilitation, Human Services, Transportation, and Public Instruction, the Judicial branch, University system, Indian Affairs, and the Tobacco Control Committee to address prevention and cessation of many risky behaviors. Yes, nearly $ 145 million! That certainly demonstrates the commitment of the state of North Dakota and the federal government in combating these issues.
The efficiencies created by combining efforts at the Health Department will permit funds to be spent on services, not administrators.
That, in my opinion, is a good thing.
