New Mexico Highlights

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

The American Lung Association provides leadership in convening partners and guiding public policy efforts to continue the state’s success in reducing the impact of tobacco among New Mexicans. Together with our partners, the Lung Association works to ensure tobacco control and prevention remains a priority for state legislators and local decision makers.

In 2024, the Lung Association’s focus was to continue to educate legislators, legislative staff, and the general public about smoking and the importance of providing tobacco cessation programs for adults and youth, and the dangers of secondhand smoke. Funding for the state tobacco control program from tobacco Master Settlement Agreement dollars have seen cuts in recent years and falls well short of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended levels. During the 2024 legislative session, the Lung Association along with our partners worked to pass legislation that moves $330 million to the Tobacco Settlement Permanent Fund by removing it from the state’s reserve fund. This will help generate more revenue for programmatic uses including tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Moving forward in 2025, the American Lung Association will once again make it a priority to educate our legislature and communities about the dangers of tobacco use, the importance of a well-funded tobacco prevention and cessation programs.