Missouri Highlights

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

Missouri lawmakers passed an appropriations bill that includes funding for the newly implemented Medicaid expansion. For the second year in a row, a joint resolution was introduced that would have sent expansion back to the voters, with work reporting requirements added. The American Lung Association opposed this resolution, which did not pass. A broadly supported piece of legislation extending postpartum coverage to 12 months in Medicaid was truly agreed and finally passed by lawmakers. Missouri’s Medicaid coverage for tobacco use treatment is comprehensive and helps thousands of Missourians break the powerful addiction of tobacco.

Two versions of state Tobacco 21 legislation were introduced during the legislative session, both of which were strong policies, but did not advance beyond their assigned committees. Two pieces of legislation that would preempt local tobacco licensure regulations were also introduced. Since it has been a favorite strategy of tobacco lobbyists to add preemption amendments to Tobacco 21 policies, and with the introduction of the two standalone tobacco preemption bills, this threat was perceived to be even stronger than in the past. Thanks to a coordinated effort among our health partners and key legislators, these preemptive policies did not advance further.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (MO TPCP) launched the newest Missouri Tobacco Prevention and Control strategic tobacco plan (2022-2026) in October 2022. One key program included in the plan is the “Tobacco is Changing” media campaign to educate parents about the dangers of flavored tobacco products. The MO TPCP also released the following poll and data results that informed the strategic plan:

• Although more than 8 in 10 Missourians (83.4%) support a statewide smokefree Missouri, 71% of Missourians are not protected by law from exposure to secondhand smoke.

• LGBTQIA+ community in Missouri are 1.5 times more likely to use tobacco products than heterosexual individuals.

During the 2024 legislative session, the American Lung Association in Missouri will continue to work with public health partners to increase tobacco control funding to bring Missouri closer to the CDC-recommended level. The Lung Association will continue to educate state lawmakers and community members on the issue of preemption so that they are better equipped to avoid supporting bills that take away the rights of local communities to pass policies to protect their citizens from tobacco. The Lung Association will also support local and state laws to provide comprehensive protections from secondhand smoke in public places and workplaces.