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Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control

The Division of Tobacco Prevention and Contol is a division within the Pennsylvania Department of Health responsible for leading and coordinating strategic efforts aimed at preventing tobacco use among youth, promoting smoking cessation among youth and adults, protecting nonsmokers from secondhand smoke exposure and eliminating tobacco-related health disparaties. The Division accomplishes these goals by: 1) expanding the science base of tobacco control, 2) building capacity to conduct tobacco control programs, 3) communicating information to constituents and the public, and 4) facilitating concerted action with and among partners.

To achieve these goals, Pennsylvania has set out to implement the first statewide comprehensive tobacco-use prevention program. Some of the state-level initiatives include a telephone quitline, efforts to counter tobacco marketing, surveillance of tobacco sales to minors, promotion of clinical-practice guidelines for assessment and treatment of tobacco addiction and program evaluation.

Tips From Former Smokers

CDC's State Tobacco Activities Tracking & Evaluation (STATE) System Fact Sheets: Each fact sheet summarizes the current science from tobacco control literature, presents the current status of US state laws on the selected topic, and includes a detailed chart and US map.

State Excise Tax Fact Sheet State tobacco taxes by type including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

State Smokefree Indoor Air Fact Sheet State smokefree laws for restaurants, government worksites, private worksites, and bars.

State Preemption Fact Sheet State preemption laws for smokefree indoor air, youth access, and advertising and case law on smokefree indoor air preemption in government worksites, private worksites, and restaurants.

State Smokefree Day Care Centers Fact Sheet State smokefree laws for home-based and commercial child care centers.

Pennsylvania Tobacco Legislation

Establishment of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program

Chapter 7 of Act 77 of 2001, Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation

Annual Reports, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bureau of

Health Promotion and Risk Reduction, DTPC:

http://www.dsf.health.state.pa.us/health/lib/health/tobacco/0077ch7.pdf

Act 112 of 2002, an Act amending Titles 18 and 53 of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors:

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/session.cfm

[Scroll down to search "By Legislation Enacted" enter the year (2002) and

Act 112]

Act 27 of 2008, the Clean Indoor Air Act that prohibits smoking in a public place or a workplace and lists examples of what is considered a public place. The bill allows for some exceptions, including a private residence (except those licensed as a child care facility), a private social function where the site involved is under the control of the sponsor (except where the site is owned, leased or operated by a state or local government agency) and a wholesale or retail tobacco shop. It also imposes penalties for those establishments in noncompliance, as well as those individuals smoking in prohibited areas.

Pennsylvania Tobacco Statistical Reports

Please visit the Tobacco Prevention and Control Statistics page for the following reports and data:

Pennsylvania Tobacco Facts - A comprehensive report that provides tobacco statistics regarding the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products, the resulting health and financial costs of tobacco use, and the attitudes of Pennsylvanians about smoking in public places.

Key Outcome Indicators Reports - One-page reports that highlight key indicators, selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their publication, Key Outcome Indicators for Evaluating Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, May 2005. Indicators are grouped by the major goal areas of the tobacco program, and then by the time period in which the outcome can be measured.

State Tobacco Tracking & Evaluation (STATE) System - The STATE System of the Centers for Disease Control and Preveniton (CDC) is an eletronic data warehouse containing up-to-date and historical state-level data on tobacco use prevention and control. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/statesystem

Pennsylvania Adult Tobacco Survey - A detailed look at tobacco habits and attitudes of Pennsylvania adults. Included are the percent of smokers who have tried to quit in the past year and the percent who are thinking of quitting in the next six months. It includes information about how harmful people think cigarette smoking is, how many smokers were advised to quit by their doctor and how many people work in places which have smoking restrictions.

Pennsylvania Youth Tobacco Survey - Responses of high school and middle school students to survey questions about their tobacco-related knowledge, behaviors and attitudes.

Clean Indoor Air Impact Report - Responses from the Adult Tobacco Survey about whether people are more or less likely to visit restaurants and bars.

Additional Resources

Tobacco Annual Reports - Annual Reports for fiscal years summarize the activities and accomplishments of Pennsylvania's Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control.