NC Tobacco Prevention and Control: Recent Key Accomplishments

North Carolina's most significant accomplishments the Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch reported to CDC from 6/1/06-12/31/06 include: 

1. Release of the NC tobacco tax increase results in November showing an 18% drop in cigarette consumption and a $110 million increase in state revenues; 
2. Upon the release of the 2006 SGR, the State Health Director called for all workplaces in NC to be smoke-free.  With the successful implementation of a law making the NG General Assembly buildings smoke-free came strategic planning for how to build on this momentum in the 2007 General Assembly long session.  This includes a combination of legislative strategies that are being explored in order to overturn the 1993 law that required state controlled buildings to set aside 20% of space as was practicable for smoking and preempting more stringent restrictions at the local level.  Key principles are to make progress toward protecting all NC workers without imposing significant new barriers.  The NC Division of Public Health and NC Association of Local Health Directors (NCALHD) have begun to agree on critical elements for secondhand smoke policies, as this is one of the Association’s policy priorities.  This "Critical Elements” document was adopted by consensus in December and follows closely the national "Fundamentals of Smoke-free Workplace Laws".  Work continues on planning for implementation, including education and compliance. The NC Alliance for Health has a similar process in place.
3. Strong data continue to build support for smoke-free workplaces and public places, including a) Release of an Elon University poll showing strong support (64.7%) for a NC law that would not allow smoking in NC restaurants and bars; b) Air Quality monitoring data released to-date in Mecklenburg County and planned for other CDC funded counties; c) Air Quality monitoring data is helping to evaluate NC's smoke-free prisons law.
4. Smoke-free policies are on the rise with 59 of 134 (44%) of NC hospitals now 100% tobacco free as of 1/1/07. 35 more have announced they will go 100% tobacco free this year (71%) and 30 hospitals actively engaged in training and technical assistance; local grantees report an additional 306 smoke-free restaurants.
5. State Health Plan expanding tobacco cessation coverage to include Nicotine Replacement Therapy and promotion of the NC Quitline;
6. Increased demand for NC Quitline services, with a jump from an average of 300 calls per month to more than 5 times that number of calls in January as a result of a focus group tested run of the Rick Stoddard ad called "46-years-old"; NCI's promotion of the Quitting contest: State Health Plan promotion of the Quitline; and a NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF) New Year’s campaign.
7. The 100% Tobacco Free Schools campaign is now the top policy initiative of the Lieutenant Governor and the HWTF Teen Tobacco Prevention and Cessation initiative.  Adoption of the 100% TFS policy advanced from 78 or 68% of school districts to 82 or 71% of school districts in January 2007.
8. HWTF has increased its annual tobacco prevention and cessation budget to approximately $17.1 million, or 40% of CDC's Best Practices.
9. The TPCB has increased its collaborative efforts with chronic diseases and health promotion programs, partnering with Heart Disease and Stroke Task Force on secondhand smoke media and policy; Health Promotion on increased local capacity; Cancer on the state’s Cancer Plan and local capacity for tobacco control as evidence-based cancer prevention; Asthma on smoke-free environments and promoting cessation through Quitline services.
10. Compliance with the youth access law in NC is now at 90%, according to independent Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) compliance checks in 2006.