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The second annual American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control: 2003 report has been released.  This national report card analyzes state tobacco control laws in four key areas—smokefree air, tobacco program funding, cigarette excise taxes and youth access to tobacco.  Virginia scored grades of “F” in cigarette excise tax, "F" in tobacco prevention and control spending, "F" in smokefree air. One bright spot, Virginia earned a "D" grade for its youth access to tobacco.

This report is a wake-up call to the legislature about the true status of tobacco control in Virginia. Our cigarette tax is the lowest in the nation and the prevalence of youth smoking is too high. Studies show that when the price of cigarettes goes up, youth smoking rates go down. In fact, for every 10 percent increase in price, youth smoking rates will drop by about 7 percent.