Summary: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that Washington spend $67.3 million a year to have an effective, comprehensive tobacco prevention program.  Washington currently receives $28.4 million a year for tobacco prevention and cessation, which includes both state and federal funds.  This is 42.2% of the CDC's recommendation and ranks Washington 14th among the states in the funding of tobacco prevention programs.  Washington's spending on tobacco prevention amounts to 4.8% of the estimated $596 million in tobacco-generated revenue the state collects each year from settlement payments and tobacco taxes.

Recent Developments: Washington funds tobacco prevention through the Tobacco Prevention and Control Account, which includes tobacco settlement money and a portion of the revenue raised by a 2001voter-approved 60-cent per pack cigarette tax increase. The ballot initiative dedicated the new revenue to the state's Basic Health Plan, to tobacco prevention and cessation, and other existing programs that were already funded with tobacco tax revenue. The initiative required the state to spend at least $26.24 million a year on tobacco prevention and cessation beginning July 1, 2002. 

Also in 2007, $50 million from the state's supplemental budget was directed to the Tobacco Prevention and Control Account. Combined with other funds already in the account and the tax revenue deposited annually, these funds will maintain program funding at its current level through FY2011.

Combined with funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, total spending on tobacco prevention and cessation in FY2009 will be $28.4 million, about the same amount that was spent in FY2008.