Pennsylvania ranks 26th in protecting kids from tobacco

Pennsylvania is ranked 26th out of 50 states in preventing children from smoking. Mediocrity is the state motto under the Rendell Administration.

Some key findings from a report released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

Pennsylvania currently spends $33.2 million a year on tobacco prevention programs, which is 21.4 percent of the $155.5 million recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The tobacco companies spend more than $553 million a year on marketing in Pennsylvania. This is almost 17 times what the state spends on tobacco prevention.

Pennsylvania this year will collect $1.3 billion from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than 3 percent of it on tobacco prevention.

National Report Ranks Pennsylvania 26th in Protecting Kids From Tobacco