Lung Association gives Merced County an ‘F’ on tobacco restrictions

Merced County has not done enough to reduce exposure to tobacco smoke or restrict tobacco use, resulting in a grade of “F” from the American Lung Association, according to a report released this week.

The county was among several in the Valley, including Fresno and Stanislaus counties, to earn low grades in The State of Tobacco Control 2017 report released Wednesday.

Merced County scored almost exclusively zeros in categories of providing smoke-free outdoor spaces, smoke-free housing, reducing sales of tobacco products and imposing other restrictions. On a city level, every city in the county also received a failing grade, the report said.

Local elected officials have had other priorities, said Evi Hernandez, director of program services for the California Health Collaborative, the administrator of the Merced County Tobacco Control Program.

Health care, poverty and crime are some of the issues many elected officials are more concerned about, Hernandez said, and making tobacco policies a priority can be difficult.

“Even with our best attempts, we still haven’t made tobacco control as much of a priority, and that affects our grades,” Hernandez said.

Newly elected Merced County Supervisor Rodrigo Espinoza said recent statewide regulations on tobacco control, such as the tax increase and increasing the minimum age to buy tobacco, are sufficient enough for now.

Such restrictions already are going to affect businesses and smokers, he said. And the increased costs, he said, will make people “definitely think twice about feeding the family or buying a pack of cigarettes.”

“This is lower on the list,” Espinoza said. ”We’re worried about bringing more businesses in the counties rather than imposing more taxes or putting more restrictions.”

The American Lung Association graded places on a point scale of 0 to 12. Several areas in the Bay Area with more legislation in place to control tobacco use received higher grades.

Cities that have been passing ordinances received higher or passing grades, said Justina Felix, advocacy manager for the American Lung Association in California.

Mike Siegel, owner of the Cigar Monkey tobacco shop in downtown Merced, said he doesn’t see the need for the city to further restrict tobacco.

“There seems to be an awful lot of people wanting to take away an adult’s individual choice to choose whether or not to smoke,” Siegel said.

Merced Mayor Mike Murphy said his main priorities for the city are economic development, fixing the roads and infrastructure, and reducing crime and homelessness. He noted there are recreational sites and restaurants in Merced that are smoke-free.

“We’d certainly be open to feedback from residents if it’s (increased regulation) something that they want,” he said.

Nancy Tapia, health education specialist for the Merced County Department of Public Health, said the department has been “making strides” to regulate tobacco use but “there is still room for improvement.”

The department has been working with housing authorities to make their properties smoke-free, Tapia said, and with the city of Merced’s Planning Commission to support ordinances restricting sales of tobacco products near schools.

A zoning ordinance passed last year by the City Council prevents most new retailers from selling tobacco products within 1,000 feet of a school, according to Stephanie Nathan, program manager for the Merced County Department of Public Health.

More than 400 units of public housing in Merced County prohibit smoking either indoors or in open areas, Nathan said.

More than 11 percent of Merced County residents are smokers and nearly one-third have been smokers at some point, according to the health department’s 2016 Community Health Assessment.

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Lung Association gives Merced County an ‘F’ on tobacco restrictions."