AUGUSTA — Maine’s latest report card on tobacco use shows a continuing slide in the state’s grades.
The American Lung Association of Maine, whose report card is being released today, gives Maine an A for protecting people from secondhand smoke and a B for helping smokers quit.
But Maine gets a C for not raising its cigarette tax beyond the current $2 per pack. The anti-smoking group gives Maine a D, its first ever, for tobacco-prevention funding that’s less than the federal government’s recommended figure.
The lung association’s Ed Miller says the A, B, C and D grades reflect a downward slide from 2005 when Maine got straight A’s.
The group favors a cigarette tax increase and continued Medicaid reimbursements for smoking cessation programs.
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