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Make Your Voice Heard to Ensure Tobacco Control Efforts Continue in Virginia
On April 1, HHS reduction-in-force measures eliminated the CDC Office of Smoking and Health - jeopardizing coordinated tobacco control programs and smoking quit hotlines across the country. The Virginia Tobacco Control Program (TCP) relies entirely on CDC funding to run its programs.
The loss of federal funding would potentially result in Virginia being the only state in the nation without a tobacco control program and without a statewide tobacco and nicotine cessation quitline.
The first goal of the Virginia Cancer Plan is to “reduce exposure to and use of tobacco products among Virginians” and the Tobacco Control Program has been the leading force in our progress resulting in the following:
- Decrease in adult smoking rates from 16.4% to 10.9%
- Youth vaping decreased from 11.8% to 8.1%
- 30% of Quitline users successfully quit
Download the Protect Virginia Tobacco Control Program Impact Sheet
Read the May 22 Commentary: Cuts to anti-tobacco program will cost lives, by Caroline Cobb and Michelle Peace, VCU, Richmond Times-Dispatch
Contact your local legislators and urge them to allocate funds to support the Virginia Tobacco Control Program.
Click here to find your local legislators
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