Anti-smoking campaign gets fraction of Funds

Charleston Daily Mail: "West Virginia spends less than 4 percent of its tobacco-generated revenue for prevention, so losing $10 million in tobacco settlement money likely would pose no harm to statewide anti-smoking campaigns. The state spent just $5.9 million in anti-smoking initiatives in 2005 while gaining $155.6 million in tobacco taxes and settlement payments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends West Virginia spend at least $14 million on anti-tobacco programs. Those numbers come from a study conducted by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a nonprofit organization created in 1995 to deter children from tobacco. West Virginia could lose $10 million from top cigarette manufacturers this year because of a dispute between tobacco makers and attorneys general across the country."