On Wednesday, the American Lung Association released its State of Tobacco Control 2018 report, which saw marked increases over the previous year for the tobacco control policies of California cities. The report noted that California was leading the nation in such policies, and the Bay Area was one such contributor. Benicia made slight improvements, but it was not enough to save it or Solano County from receiving failing grades for their tobacco control policies.

According to the report, California made great strides in improving tobacco prevention in 2017, largely because of increased tobacco taxes from Proposition 56, which was approved by voters in 2016 and went into effect in April.

“This year, California began reaping the financial and health benefits of an increased tobacco tax,” Mark Johnson, board chair of California’s American Lung Association, said in a statement. “I’ve seen personally how effective it can be as one of my close relatives, a long-time smoker, finally quit the day the tobacco tax went into effect. Our family was so grateful for his lifestyle change and we’ve already seen a big improvement in his health.”

The report grades the state, cities and counties on an A to F scale in several key areas. California received an A in funding for state tobacco prevention programs, up from an F in 2016. Additionally, the coverage and access to services to help quit tobacco increased from an F in 2016 to a C in 2017.

Other highlights include a record number of 10 communities improving their overall grade to an A and 17 fewer communities receiving F grades than last year. A total of 31 cities have A grades, including Fairfax, Los Gatos, Novato and Palo Alto.

However, the report noted that half of California’s population lives in cities with D or F grades, including half the state’s most populous cities. Once again, Solano County and all of its cities received D or F grades, although with slight improvements. Benicia received points for having a strong definition of secondhand smoke and making all of its recreation areas smoke-free. Fairfield increased its grade to a D for improving smoke-free outdoor air policies in recreation and outdoor dining areas and prohibiting smoking within 20 feet of entryways. It and Vallejo were the only two of seven Solano County cities to receive anything higher than an F.

“We must continue to focus on reducing smoking rates and exposure to secondhand smoke in our communities especially for our most vulnerable citizens including children, senior citizens and those with lung disease,” Dr. Eugene Belogorsky, a Santa Rosa-based pulmonologist and volunteer physician with California’s American Lung Association, said. “Every day I see the effects of tobacco use on my patients and we must do everything we can to tackle this public health crisis.”

For the full report, go to lung.org/local-content/california/our-initiatives/state-of-tobacco-control/2018/state-of-tobacco-control-2018.html.

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