State tobacco legislation: An agent of social and environmental change

Healthy People 2020 includes as one of its goals the reduction of illness, disability, and death related to tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. Among the recommended social and environmental changes necessary to achieving this goal are: (1) enacting comprehensive smoke-free policies, and (2) increasing the price of tobacco products. The plan also acknowledges as an emerging issue the role states will play in further strengthening smoke-free air laws and increasing tobacco taxes. The National Cancer Institute's State Cancer Legislative Database (SCLD) Program monitors trends in state legislation by analyzing and reporting laws addressing prevention and control in numerous cancer-related topics, including tobacco use. As of January 31, 2011, the database contained nearly 8,900 records, about half of which relate to tobacco control—including the topics of smoke-free air and tobacco excise taxes. Specifically, 49 states and the District of Columbia have enacted smoke-free indoor air laws that restrict or prohibit smoking in specified public places. In addition, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have enacted tobacco excise taxes, with six states enacting an average increase in 2010 of 88 cents per pack of cigarettes. Because state policy initiatives play an integral role in preventing and controlling tobacco use, analysis of SCLD smoke-free air and excise taxes data provide a critical understanding of state-level activities in these areas and the potential implications for national social and environmental change.