North Carolina has had another "you've come a long way, baby!" moment in its historically symbiotic relationship with tobacco.
The American Lung Association has ranked North Carolina as the sixth most-friendly state for helping its residents quit smoking.
North Carolina not only was the lone traditional tobacco-growing state ranked in the top 20 but also the only one from the Southeast. Virginia was tied for 39th. Kentucky was not ranked because it had not reported data in key evaluation categories.
The ranking is the latest evidence of how North Carolina is accepting, if not embracing, programs that encourage residents to limit or stop smoking. That includes a statewide smoking ban, effective Jan. 2, 2010, that affects about 24,000 bars and restaurants.
"Truly, who would have thought even a decade ago that North Carolina would be in the top six?" asked John Spangler, a professor of family and community medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
"There is no single factor at work here. Instead, multiple partners from communities, nonprofits, academic medical centers and state government have created a ripe situation for strong quit-smoking efforts."
Spangler also cited the sour economy's role in more people trying to quit smoking because they have less disposable income to pay higher cigarette prices.
The association's ranking is based primarily on program and treatment options available for quitting, with the main focus in North Carolina on whether tobacco-cessation services are covered for Medicaid and State Health Plan recipients.
The N.C. Medicare program covers nine tobacco-cessation programs and services, such as five forms of nicotine-replacement therapy products, brand-name drugs Chantix and Zyban, and individual and group counseling.
The State Health Plan covers three nicotine-replacement therapy products and both drugs and provides individual, online and phone counseling.
"Even the most quit-friendly states still have more work to do," said Dennis Alexander, the association's regional executive director for North Carolina. "We encourage policymakers at all levels to provide access to quit-smoking treatments and services that will save lives and curb health costs."
Bill Godshall, executive director of SmokeFree Pennsylvania, said the association's report is tainted because it was funded in part by drug manufacturer Pfizer Inc., which makes Chantix.
Chantix and Zyban have been linked to severe side effects that could include depression and suicidal thoughts. But in October, the Food and Drug Administration said two studies involving more than 26,000 patients did not show an increased rate of psychiatric hospitalizations among Chantix patients, compared with those using nicotine patches and smoking-cessation treatments.
Godshall said the association advocates for requiring taxpayers and health-insurance companies to subsidize the cost of nicotine-replacement products.
"More Americans have quit smoking cold turkey and by switching to smokeless tobacco or e-cigarettes than by using drug-industry products," Godshall said.
North Carolina's ranking could fall in 2012 depending on how much funding is dedicated by state government to tobacco-cessation programs.
The General Assembly eliminated the state's Health and Wellness Trust in July as part of legislators' effort to transfer funds to reduce the state's budget shortfall. The trust received its funding from major tobacco manufacturers as part of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services is providing enough funding to the QuitlineNC program to keep it going until July 1, said agency spokeswoman Julie Henry. The State Health Plan is also contributing money to QuitlineNC for its members.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement