Five big tobacco executives each made more money last year than Nebraska spends on efforts to promote tobacco free kids and help Nebraskans quit smoking and quit tobacco use.

Combined, the total compensation for these five executives was $66.5 million. That's 22.9 times the $2.9 million that Nebraska spends on its efforts to prevent tobacco use and to help Nebraskans quit smoking and quit tobacco use. In fact, it's more than the 24 worst states on prevention spend combined.  

That's according to a blog post by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids published Friday. 

"Guess the lifestyles of the Big Tobacco Execs are worth more than the health of our kids," Danny McGoldrick, Tobacco-Free Kids Vice President of Research, said in the post.

The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids reports that:

• Two Reynolds' American executives — former CEO Susan Ivey and her replacement, Daniel M. Delen earned a combined $23 million last year;
  
• Lorillard's former chief executive, Martin Orlowsky, pulled down a cool $18.8 million in 2010 — a 90 percent increase over fiscal 2009;
  
• Murray Kessler, who replaced Orlowsky as Lorillard CEO in September, received $3.7 million for 2010; and
  
• Michael E. Szymanczyk, chief of Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc., pulled in $20.7 million. That's more than double his compensation in 2009.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that Nebraska spend $21.5 million on efforts to promote tobacco free kids and to help Nebraskans quit smoking and quit tobacco use. The earnings of Reynolds' American top two executives alone is more than the $21.5 million recommended level of funding for Nebraska, and is 7.9 times the $2.9 million Nebraska currently spends on those efforts.

Tobacco Unfiltered, the blog of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, provides the full report. That report includes comparisons of the earnings of these Big Tobacco executives to states spending on efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use.