Report: Cessation programs fall by the wayside

NEW YORK According to a recently published Dow Jones report, state-funded tobacco-prevention programs quickly are becoming the latest casualty of constricting state budgets, prompting concern among public health groups around the nation's progress toward getting adult smokers to quit.

The number of adults who smoke has remained relatively steady since 2004 — 20.6% of the population were smokers in 2009.

According to the report, the $517 million allocated by states for tobacco prevention and cessation in fiscal-year 2011 is down 9.2% from $569 million a year earlier and 28% less than states spent in 2008.

“There's a risk of a setback," said CDC director Thomas Frieden, according to Dow Jones. "The data are very clear. The more we invest in tobacco control, the fewer people smoke, and that prevents illness, disability, deaths and healthcare costs."