American Lung Association of New Mexico

State of Tobacco Control Report Card
The American Lung Association of New Mexico, part of the American Lung Association of the Southwest, continues to have an impact on tobacco control through its leadership and commitment to educational programs and advocacy work. Partnerships with other voluntary health organizations, state-funded tobacco control programs and coalitions such as New Mexicans Concerned About Tobacco, allow the Lung Association to make a difference on a broad range of tobacco control issues.

The state of New Mexico is delighted to become the 17th state in the nation to pass a comprehensive law prohibiting smoking in most public places and workplaces, including restaurants and bars. During the 2007 legislative session, the new law, called the Dee Johnson Clean Indoor Air Act, was passed. It was signed into law by Gov. Bill Richardson on March 13 and went into effect on June 15. The New Mexico Department of Health created a website called, "Smoke Free New Mexico" for people to learn about this new law.

The Lung Association was also successful in working with the legislature to secure an increase in funding for state tobacco control and prevention programs. State funding will increase from $7.7 million in FY2008 to $9.6 million in FY2008; $9.115 million is for the state Department of Health’s Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Program, plus $500,000 for the Indian Affairs Department tobacco control programs. This increase in funding will help New Mexico move closer to the $13.7 million minimum recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On the local front, the city of Espanola unanimously approved a strong smokefree ordinance in January 2007. The ordinance prohibits smoking in bars, restaurants, businesses, public places and seating areas at outdoor events.

According to the CDC’s 2005 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System released in 2006, New Mexico’s high school smoking rate stands at 25.7 percent down from the 30 percent recorded in a state survey done in 2003. The adult smoking rate decreased from 21.5 percent in 2005 to 20.2 percent in 2006, according to CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Since 2006, the American Lung Association of New Mexico has been involved with the Smoke Free Campus Campus Coalition. The University of New Mexico Hospital and the University of New Mexico Cancer Center (clinical operations only) have prohibited smoking at their facilities effective April 2007. The remainder of the Health Science Center at the University of New Mexico became completely smoke free in August. The main campus at the University of New Mexico is working towards becoming smokefree as well.

Click here to view New Mexico ’s report.

For the full report or to view reports from other areas in the United States, click here.