If the billions in tobacco settlement monies to the states ended would it matter?

[astro]

Re this article how important is this tobacco settlement money in the overall big financial picture for states? Let’s say the tobacco industry went belly up or became so financially damaged by lawsuits (or whatever) it couldn’t pay these enormous settlement sums. Is losing this money really going to make any real difference in the scheme of things, or is it just pocket change?

Study: States misdirecting tobacco money

WASHINGTON – Just a fraction of the money that states received from tobacco settlements and taxes is being used to prevent smoking, advocacy groups reported in a study Wednesday.

The report, “A Broken Promise to Our Children,” was released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Lung Association.

Some $551 million is allocated for tobacco-use prevention programs in the 2006 budget year, the study said. That pales in comparison with the $1.6 billion recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Vince Willmore, spokesman for the campaign.

Even that amount would represent a small part of the $21.3 billion available to states this year from the 1998 tobacco settlement and state tobacco taxes.

Only Maine, Colorado, Delaware and Mississippi spend at least the minimum levels recommended by the CDC, the study said.

Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire South Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia spend no state funds at all, the report found, while 30 other states fund at less than half of the recommended amount.

[SnakesCatLady]

I guess it would depend on how much the state had counted that money into their budget. I was under the impression that the money was intended to go to: 1) anti-smoking education; and 2) health care for smoking-related problems. (This is an impression - if I’m wrong, please don’t all pile on me. Or at least not at once. Or…nevermind.)

I believe that Georgia is one of the worst as far as spending the money for its intended purposes. But then again, Georgia is trying to close down the only public in-patient mental hospital in this region. So I’m not too keen on Georgia’s motives about anything at the moment.