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A new report by the American Lung Association shows Ohio is not making the grade when it comes to tobacco-caused diseases and death. Shelly Kiser says the major problem is that there’s not enough money being set aside for smoking cessation and prevention programs.
Kiser says smoking rates in Ohio increased significantly for the first time in more than a decade between 2009 and 2010. She says the state isn’t putting any money in to the tobacco quit line, a service that she says has proven successful in the past. And she says the more people smoke, the more taxpayers will pay for health care for the poor and other tobacco related problems. Kiser says it’s time for lawmakers to raise taxes on tobacco to prompt smokers to want to quit the habit. |
