The California Tobacco Control Program

The California Tobacco Control Program was established in 1989 after the passage of Proposition 99. California’s program uses a variety of methods to address tobacco cessation, including a mass media campaign to encourage smokers to quit, a telephone Quitline and counseling services, and subsidized nicotine replacement therapy. Additionally, the Tobacco Control Program encourages the implementation of smoking restrictions in worksites and public places, funds several cessation programs at the local level, and encourages physicians and other healthcare professionals to advise their patients to quit smoking and to provide referrals to cessation services.

The Mission of California's Tobacco Control Section (TCS) is to improve the health of all Californians by reducing illness and premature death attributable to the use of tobacco products.

During the 1990s, per capita cigarette consumption fell by a factor of 57% in California compared to only 27% in the rest of the United States. By the end of 1999, Californians consumed only 4.1 packs of cigarettes per person per month, compared to 9.1 in the rest of the United States. During the 1990s, adult smoking prevalence in California declined by 24%, compared to 17% in the rest of the United States. More Californian’s are trying to quit (a 25% increase since 1990). More Californians work and live in places where they cannot smoke indoors. As a result, smokers have reduced their daily cigarette consumption and many have made quit attempts compared to smokers not constrained by smoking restrictions. Quit attempts of a one day or longer increased by 25% from 1990 to 1999. Use of smoking cessation assistance (including nicotine replacement therapy) has increased by nearly 22% between 1992-1999. Physician advice to quit to their patients who smoke increased by more than 20% between 1990 and 1999, and the percentage of smokers who stated they quit because of physician advice to quit increased by 32% between 1996 and 1999, from 25.3% to 33.4%.