Summary: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Louisiana spend $53.5 million a year to have an effective, comprehensive tobacco prevention program.  Louisiana currently receives $8.5 million a year for tobacco prevention and cessation, which includes both state and federal funds.  This is 15.9% of the CDC's recommendation and ranks Louisiana 33rd among the states in the funding of tobacco prevention programs.  Louisiana's spending on tobacco prevention amounts to 2.8% of the estimated $308 million in tobacco-generated revenue the state collects each year from settlement payments and tobacco taxes.

Recent Developments: For FY2009, Louisiana will receive $8.5 million in federal and state funds for tobacco prevention programs. The Louisiana Legislature allocated the same amount of state funding for FY2009 as it did for FY2008.

In 2002, the Legislature passed and then-Governor Mike Foster (R) signed into law a 12-cent per pack increase in the state cigarette tax, to 36 cents a pack, and dedicated 2 cents per pack to a Cancer Consortium comprised of Tulane University and Louisiana State University for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.  Revenue generated from the tax will automatically flow to the Consortium every year, unless the law is changed by the Legislature.