Arkansas Highlights

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Arkansas. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Arkansas elected officials:

During the 2024 fiscal session of the legislature, the American Lung Association worked to ensure funding for Medicaid expansion was included in the state’s constitutionally required balanced budget. Maintaining Medicaid expansion in the state is important for reducing tobacco use because it provides low-cost access to quit smoking medications and services for a population, Medicaid enrollees, that smoke at significantly higher rates. The Lung Association also supported providing $14.6 million in funding for Arkansas’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program, which was passed in House Bill 1080. However, a portion was required to be used for purposes other than the tobacco control program this year leaving only $12 million total for tobacco prevention and reduction activities.

The Arkansas Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (ARTPCP) is charged with developing and implementing a statewide comprehensive tobacco education, prevention, and cessation program. The program supports initiatives like Be Well Arkansas (the state’s tobacco Quitline); the Coral’s Reef tobacco youth education program; and Be Well Baby. More recently, ARTPCP has built upon existing programs and began offering lung cancer screening presentations to encourage eligible Arkansas to access this important preventative care service. Other added services are a new cessation app, called “Navig8”, and an updated episode of Coral’s Reef.

During the 2025 session of the legislature, the Lung Association will work to ensure funding for Medicaid expansion and Arkansas’ Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program are included in the state’s constitutionally required balanced budget. The Lung Association and its partner health organizations will continue to lay the groundwork for a campaign to repeal the state law that prohibits local governments from passing tobacco control ordinances in their communities. Alongside this effort, the Lung Association will engage community partners to support local smoke free policies that are not preempted by state law. This is priority work and an ongoing campaign to give Arkansas cities and counties the option to adopt meaningful tobacco control measures to protect the health of their residents. As the legislature begins its work in 2025, the Lung Association will continue its efforts to educate policymakers, business leaders and media on the importance of the American Lung Association’s goals to reduce all tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, and to protect public health.