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97-64: Tobacco-Related Activities and Programs
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| Summary Federal government agencies are engaged in a variety of tobacco-related activities and programs, which are summarized in the table beginning on page two. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) operates a tobacco price support program, designed to support and stabilize prices for farmers, which operates through a combination of mandatory marketing quotas and loans. The USDA also insures tobacco growers and monitors tobacco trade in the United States and abroad. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) is the lead federal agency for anti-smoking activities. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds research on smoking-related illnesses. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all regulate tobacco products. Where possible, the table includes funding information. The CDC's OSH is devoted entirely to tobacco-related activities and has its own budget. Tobacco-related activities in most agencies are just one component of larger programs that may provide funding for a variety of public health or other activities. In such cases, estimates of the amount spent on tobacco-related activities may not be available. Block grant funding may also be used for smoking cessation and prevention activities, though recipients of block grant funds typically are not required to report the details of how the money is spent. This report will be updated on a regular basis. Additional information on federal tobacco-related programs and activities may be found at agencies' websites.(1) |
Federal Tobacco-Related Activities and Programs by Agency |
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| Agency | Activities/Programs | Funding/Program Costs |
| Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |
i) CDC's Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) is the lead federal agency
for anti-tobacco activities. CDC/OSH conducts scientific research, including surveillance
and epidemiologic studies, communicates health information to the public by coordinating
national campaigns on the health hazards of tobacco use, and provides technical assistance
to state and local anti-tobacco programs. The IMPACT (Initiatives to Mobilize for the
Prevention and Control of Tobacco Use) and ASSIST (American Stop Smoking Intervention
Study--transferred to CDC from NCI in FY99) programs will provide $51 million (in FY99) in
grants to states to develop local and school-based tobacco-control programs. CDC/OSH
produces the Surgeon General's reports on tobacco. Two reports are currently in progress,
one on assessing the effectiveness of tobacco-control programs, and the other on tobacco
use among women. Additional information may be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/osh. ii) In addition, CDC funds 15 states to develop comprehensive school health programs that integrate enhanced tobacco use prevention, and the promotion of physical activity and health diet into school health education programs. iii) CDC's Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant provides grants to states for preventive health programs, including anti-smoking activities. iv) CDC's National Center for Environmental Health studies exposure to environmental tobacco smoke by measuring urine cotinine (a nicotine derivative) levels. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion conducts research on the effects of tobacco use on prenatal and maternal health. |
i) FY98 budget = $28.8 million FY99 budget = $74.8 million FY00 request = $101.6 million ii) FY98 budget = $9.8 million FY99 request = $9.8 million iii) FY96 budget = $3.6 milliona FY97 budget = $2.7 million iv) Not available |
| Public Health Service, Office of Public Health and Science (OPHS) |
OPHS provides PHS-wide coordination and staff support for Healthy People 2000, a set of national goals for improving the health of all Americans during the 1990s. Reducing tobacco use is one of the priorities of Healthy People 2000. OPHS also coordinates Smoke-Free Kids and Soccer, a collaboration between DHHS and the U.S. National Women's soccer team to encourage adolescent girls to play soccer to maintain physical fitness and resist pressures to smoke. See http://www.smokefree.gov | Not available |
| Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health (NIH) |
i) The National Cancer Institute (NCI) funds research on lung cancer and
other tobacco-related cancers, tracks tobacco-related state legislation, and administers
investigator-initiated research projects in smoking prevention, cessation, and education.
Acting on the recommendations of its Tobacco Research Implementation Group, which was
created to set research priorities for the next 57 years, NCI recently announced $142
million over 5 years to fund two research initiatives: (i) $70 million ($50 million for
NCI, $20 million from NIDA) to fund Transdisciplinary Tobacco Research Centers, and (ii)
$72 million for state and community tobacco-control intervention research. See http://dccps.nci.nih.gov/tcrp/trip. ii) The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) supports a broad research program on the adverse effects of smoking on the heart and lungs, and the beneficial effects of smoking cessation in patients with symptoms of heart or lung disease. iii) The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) funds research on smoking and nicotine dependency. iv) Other NIH institutes (e.g. dental, nursing, and environmental health) also fund tobacco-related research. |
i) FY98 budget = $86 millionb FY99 request = $91.2 million ii) FY98 budget = $24.5 millionb FY99 request = $26.4 million iii) FY98 budget = $173 millionb FY99 request = $190.3 million iv) FY98 budget = $165.1 millionc FY99 request = $177.9 million |
| Public Health Service, Indian Health Service (IHS) |
In conjunction with CDC, IHS selects a coordinator who maintains a community-based program for the prevention and control of tobacco use among American Indian and Alaskan Native populations. The coordinator's activities include regional and tribal program planning, community outreach and education programs, and policy development. Other IHS activities include health services provided in medical facilities, namely smoking cessation and treatment of tobacco-related illnesses. | FY98 budget = $161,000 FY99 request = $163,000d |
| Public Health Service, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) |
i) Bureau of Health Professions provides funding for anti-smoking
education through its health professions education and nurse training programs. ii) Maternal and Child Health Block Grant funds health services to mothers and children, including anti-smoking education. iii) Bureau of Primary Health Care administers the Community Health Centers program, which provides grants to operate community health centers in areas designated as medically underserved. Some funding may be used for anti-smoking education. |
Not available |
| Public Health Service, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Admin. (SAMHSA) |
i) SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) provides
discretionary funding for community-based demonstration projects for the prevention and
early intervention of alcohol and drug abuse, including tobacco use.e Funding
is also provided for planning meetings and conferences.f ii) The CSAP also implements the Synar Amendment to the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300x-26), which requires states to enforce their laws prohibiting underage tobacco sales or risk losing a portion of the annual Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) block grant award. States must conduct annual random, unannounced inspections of a representative sample of retail outlets to ensure compliance with the law, and develop a strategy and time frame for achieving a target compliance rate of at least 80% (i.e., no more than 20% of retailers caught selling to minors). SAMHSA's compliance report in FY1997 documented that 4 states (FL, ME, NH, WA) had achieved the target rate. All states expect to achieve that goal by FY2003. See http://www.samhsa.gov/csap/synar/faq/htm. |
i) FY98 budget = $1 million FY99 request = $1 million ii) FY98 budget = $11.35 million FY99 request = $12.35 million |
| Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) |
In 1996, in collaboration with CDC, AHCPR published clinical practice guidelines on smoking cessation,g which are designed to assist health care workers and insurers in identifying smokers and delivering effective smoking cessation interventions http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/smoview.htm. | Not available |
| Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) |
On August 28, 1996, the FDA issued a regulation to restrict the labeling, advertising, sale, and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to children and adolescents (21 C.F.R. 801, et al.).h The regulation is based on the agency's finding that cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products are delivery devices for nicotine, an addictive drug. The aim of the regulation is to reduce youth access to tobacco products and the appeal of tobacco advertisements. In August 1998, a federal appeals court ruled that FDA has no authority to regulate tobacco products, reversing an earlier lower court ruling that confirmed the agency's jurisdiction over tobacco. The Administration has appealed the appeals court ruling.i FDA is in the process of contracting with states to conduct retailer compliance checks and report their findings to the agency. At the end of FY98, FDA had contracted with 43 states and territories. See http://www.fda.gov/opacom/campaigns/tobacco.htm. | FY99 budget = $34 million FY00 request = $68 million |
| Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA) | On March 25, 1994, OSHA announced a proposed indoor air quality regulation that in part would require employers to restrict smoking to enclosed, separately ventilated smoking rooms. No official decision has been made on issuing a final regulation. | FY98 budget = $300,000j FY99 request = $100,000 |
| Federal Trade Commission (FTC) | The FTC has jurisdiction over deceptive or unfair tobacco advertising and marketing practices pursuant to general authority granted in the FTC Act, and takes action on a case-by-case basis against deceptive or unfair advertising of tobacco products. The FTC administers the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act (15 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) ensuring that mandated health warnings are displayed on cigarette packaging and advertising. It also publishes an annual report to Congress on cigarette advertising and promotion, and regularly publishes a report listing cigarette tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide levels. In addition, the FTC administers and enforces the Comprehensive Smokeless Tobacco Health Education Act (15 U.S.C. 4401 et seq.), which requires health warnings on packaging and advertising for smokeless tobacco products. The FTC prepares a biennial report to Congress on smokeless tobacco advertising and promotion. Pursuant to its authority, FTC routinely monitors advertising and promotion of both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco and collects data on tobacco-product advertising and promotional expenditures. The FTC also has begun collecting and reporting data on the advertising and marketing of cigars. See http://www.ftc.gov/os/1998/9803/96cigrpt.htm. | Not available |
| Department of Justice | The Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act (15 U.S.C. 1339). | Not available |
| Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) | The BATF collects federal tobacco excise taxes in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code. In addition, the BATF provides assistance to state and local authorities in combating smuggling of tobacco products across state lines. | FY97 tax receipts = $5.74 billionk |
| Department of Agriculture (USDA) | i) The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) program operations are
administered by the Farm Service Agency. It is through CCC that the federal tobacco price
support program, which is designed to support and stabilize prices for producers, is
implemented through a combination of mandatory marketing quotas and nonrecourse loans. For
purposes of federal deficit reduction, a marketing assessment of 1% of the support price
is collected on every pound of tobacco manufactured. ii) The Farm Service Agency provides the administrative support required to administer the federal tobacco price support program operations through the CCC. iii) The Agricultural Marketing Service collects and disseminates tobacco auction market prices and sales volume data and develops improved tobacco inspection and grading standards. iv) The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service conducts genetic research using tobacco plants as a model. v) The Economic Research Service conducts supply, demand, and trade analysis and makes economic projections related to tobacco. vi) The Foreign Agricultural Service collects and analyzes international economic data on tobacco. vii) The National Agricultural Statistics Service collects data on domestic tobacco acreage, crop condition, yield, and production. viii) The Risk Management Agency provides tobacco crop insurance to growers. |
i) FY98 budget = $286 millionl FY99 request = ($48.8 million) ii) FY98 budget = $16.2 million FY99 request = $15.4 million iii) FY98 budget = $965,000 FY99 request = $994,000 iv) FY98 budget = $680,000 FY99 request = $646,000 v) FY98 budget = $98,000 FY99 request = $98,000 vi) FY98 budget = $138,000 FY99 request = $142,000 vii) FY98 budget = $248,000 FY99 request = $249,000 viii) FY98 budget = $38.3 millionm |
| Department of Education | The Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program provides grants for states to fund
violence and drug prevention activities in schools around the country. Some funding is
used for anti-smoking programs. The Department coordinates national activities,
administers grants and carries out separate evaluations of programs. In July 1998, the
Department disseminated a set of principles that it believes will help guide states and
local school districts in implementing more effective prevention programs. The principles
of effectiveness state that a recipient of funds should: Base their program on a thorough needs assessment of objective data Establish measurable goals and objectives Implement research-based programs and Evaluate the program periodically to assess progress toward achieving its goals and objectives and use evaluation results to refine, improve and strengthen program. |
FY98 budget = $556 million FY99 request = $606 million |
| Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) | All VA medical centers have smoking cessation programs. The VA recently issued clinical practice guidelines to help standardize the activities within each of these programs. In addition, treatment is provided to veterans with tobacco-related disorders who qualify. | FY97 estimate = $3.6 billionn |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | The EPA Indoor Environments Division funds cooperative agreements with national partners such as the Consumer Research Council and the American Academy of Pediatrics to disseminate information on indoor air quality problems and solutions, including those associated with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). EPA also publishes brochures on the health effects of exposure to ETS. | Not available |
| Department of Defense (DOD) | The DOD encourages all commands to provide personnel with anti-smoking and smoking cessation programs. Anti-tobacco education is provided through lectures, films, and pamphlets. High-risk personnel, such as those with chronic respiratory and heart conditions, and those in specific occupational groups (e.g., asbestos workers) receive special medical counseling on the risks of smoking. Most bases offer smoking cessation classes. Physicians and other health care providers are expected to evaluate all their patients for tobacco use and recommend appropriate cessation activities. When clinically determined as safe and appropriate, nicotine replacement therapy (i.e., nicotine gum and nicotine patches) is prescribed in conjunction with other cessation activities such as counseling. | Not availableq |
a This figure represents the amount of prevention block grant money spent on anti-smoking activities.
b Funding levels for institute's tobacco-related biomedical research.
c Funding levels for tobacco-related research for all other NIH institutes (i.e., excluding NCI, NHLBI, and NIDA).
d This amount includes the tobacco control coordinator's salary and the budget for prevention activities ($50,000, with $40,000 of that from CDC).
e Demonstration grants for the prevention of alcohol and drug abuse among high-risk populations (42 U.S.C. 290bb-23).
f Substance abuse treatment conference grants (42 U.S.C. 290bb).
g U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, Smoking Cessation, Clinical Practice Guideline No. 18, AHCPR Publication No. 96-0692, April 1996. Condensed versions of the guideline, published as brochures for clinicians and the general public, are also available.
h U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Regulations restricting the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products to protect children and adolescents. Federal Register, vol. 61, no. 168, August 28, 1996. p. 44396.
i For more information about FDA's tobacco regulation, including the recent appeals court ruling, see CRS Report 98-6, Tobacco Legislation in the 105th Congress, includes a summary of the rule's provisions.
j OSHA issued a contract (approx. $100,000) to a data processing firm to organize and index the more than 100,000 pages of public comment the agency received on the proposed regulation. Most of the comments concerned the ETS provisions. The budget amounts do not include approximately 1.5 positions (FTE's) involved in coordinating tobacco-related activities.
k Gross federal excise tax collections for cigarettes in FY1997. No budget information for tobacco activities is available, but some work load information has been parsed. Of the 48 employees (FTE's) devoted to tobacco control at the BATF, 30 work mostly on Regulatory Enforcement and 12 work mostly on Criminal Enforcement, while 6 work on other tobacco-related activities. The number of tobacco-related cases conducted in FY1997 was 233 which represents approximately 3% of all cases conducted by BATF.
l The CCC budget figures represent net budgetary expenditure for the price support program, which equals loan outlays plus marketing assessments minus loan repayments. Numbers in parentheses are net revenues (i.e., negative net expenditures). For more information on USDA tobacco-related activities, see CRS Report 97-417, Tobacco-Related Programs and Activities of the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Operation and Cost, by Jasper Womach. Updated regularly.
m Net crop insurance outlays are comprised of tobacco crop loss indemnity payments plus administrative expenses for delivery of tobacco insurance minus grower premiums.
n Estimated VA health-care expenditures for tobacco-related illnesses. The VA estimates that its tobacco-related health care costs will total $20 billion in the next 5 years.
o Each Service -- Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps -- administers its own programs. Funding for these programs is part of larger budget items, such as "health promotion."
Footnotes
1. (back)For information on the public health impact of tobacco use, see the CDC Office of Smoking and Health website http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/osh. Information on tobacco-related activities at other federal agencies is available at the following sites: FDA's tobacco regulation http://www.fda.gov/opacom/campaigns/tobacco.html, SAMHSA's implementation of the Synar Amendment http://www.samhsa.gov/csap/synar/faq.htm, and FTC's annual report on cigarette advertising and promotion http://www.ftc.gov/os/1998/9803/96cigrpt.htm.
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