News 3 Staff
January 25- Nevada remains behind other states when it comes to prevention or reducing tobacco use in the state, according to a new report from the American Lung Association.
The “State of Tobacco Control” report published Wednesday gave mostly failing grades to Nevada based on an evaluation of policies taken to eliminate tobacco use.
The Lung Association blames tobacco for the deaths of 4,050 state residents each year.
“Nevada lags behind when it comes to tobacco control policies, and as a result, we have higher than average adult smoking rates at 15.5% and 21.4% of high school students use a tobacco product,” JoAnna Strother, senior director of advocacy for the ALA in Nevada, said in a statement.
Nevada received an “F” grade for funding prevention programs, state tobacco taxes and ending the sale of flavored products. It got a “D” for access to services to quit, and a “C” grade for the strength of smokefree workplace laws.
The ALA says Nevada only funds tobacco control efforts at about 16% of the level that federal officials recommend.
Nevada is also one of 22 states without a comprehensive smokefree law in public places and workplaces.
