Impact Study
In 2000, TSET was created by Oklahoma voters to improve the health of Oklahomans. In 2016, an independent study was conducted to see impact of statewide action. The study, “Assessing the Impact of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust on Oklahoma’s Adult Smoking Prevalence”, found an overwhelming positive response when compared to other states with similar cigarette taxes and comprehensive clear air legislation.*
*About the Methodology
In order to assess TSET’s impact on Oklahoma’s adult smoking rate, researchers used two primary criteria to select a group of peer states to use as a comparison to Oklahoma. These criteria were total state cigarette tax (excise tax and sales tax) and the percent of the state’s population protected by comprehensive clean air legislation. These two criteria were selected because they are the most influential actions at the state level that can lead to a reduction in the rate of adult smoking.
Six states — Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana and Tennessee — met the criteria to be considered peer states to Oklahoma.
These comparison states are experiencing many of the same trends in tobacco as Oklahoma, including the rise of e-cigarettes and alternate forms of tobacco. Despite those trends, Oklahoma alone has seen a 10x faster smoking reduction, a difference that can only be attributed to TSET’s investments in grants and programs, according to the study’s researchers.