Portland, Ore.– August 11, 2016 – Oregon gets mixed reviews for policies to prevent and reduce cancer. According to How Do You Measure Up? A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality, Oregon measured up to recommendations in 5 of the 10 areas ranked. It falls short in three and could improve two tobacco control policies. The report was released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
“To leverage progress we’ve made fighting cancer, Oregon legislators must continue passing laws and policies proven to save lives and money,” said ACS CAN Oregon Government Relations Director Luis Rodriguez. “This year, more than 22,500 Oregonians will be diagnosed with cancer and 8,150 will die from it. This report outlines ways lawmakers can make a difference by emphasizing cancer prevention, curbing tobacco use and prioritizing quality of life.”
How Do You Measure Up? rates states in 10 cancer-fighting policies. A color-coded system classifies how well a state is doing in each issue. Green shows a state has adopted evidence-based policies and best practices. Yellow indicates moderate movement toward the benchmark. Red shows where states are falling short.
Tobacco use is Oregon’s leading cause of preventable death, killing roughly 7,000 Oregonians yearly and causing one-third of all cancers. Lawmakers can reduce cancer rates and save lives by improving policies in the following areas:
- Cigarette Tax Rates YELLOW
- Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding YELLOW
Oregon’s current cigarette tax of $1.32 per pack is below the national average of $1.65 per pack. Regular, significant tobacco tax increases are one of the best strategies to prevent youth from starting to use tobacco and help current users quit. Oregon trails some of its western counterparts by not improving its tobacco tax as last year Nevada passed a $1 per pack cigarette tax. Californians will have the opportunity to vote for a $2 per pack tax increase on the November ballot.
“Oregon last increased its tobacco tax in 2002,” said Rodriguez. “With Oregon’s adult smoking rate at 17 percent – greater than the national average of 15 percent – we are long overdue to curb tobacco use and prevent a lifetime of deadly addiction.”
Additionally, Oregon underfunds tobacco prevention and cessation efforts. In fiscal year 2016, Oregon spent $9.8 million on tobacco prevention – 25 percent of the CDC-recommended amount of $39.3 million. Funding comes from Oregon’s tobacco tax and the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) – billions of dollars in yearly tobacco company payments to compensate states for costs of tobacco-related diseases. Prior to 2013, Oregon had never invested MSA dollars in tobacco prevention, and still continues to only invest a small portion.
Along with other tobacco control efforts, ACS CAN will work with legislators in 2017 to raise Oregon’s tobacco sales age to 21. If passed into law, Oregon will join more than 135 other cities nationwide and Hawaii and California in raising their tobacco sales age. Unless current smoking rates decline, 68,000 Oregon kids alive today will die prematurely from tobacco. Learn about Oregon’s tobacco 21 efforts:www.acscan.org/or.
View the complete report and Oregon’s grades: www.acscan.org.
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.
