Stand Teens March to Ohio Statehouse
Youth from the Stand anti-tobacco campaign joined at the Statehouse with tobacco control supporters from across the state to protest proposed diversions of nearly $100 million from the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF) to unrelated state programs.
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) May 22, 2005
Tobacco control supporters and stand Teams from across the state, including State Senator Joy Padgett (R-Coshocton), today converged on the Statehouse to rally against proposed funding diversions in the state budget that move nearly $100 million from the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF) to unrelated state programs. Youth and supporters also testified before the Senate Finance Committee, which is currently reviewing the state operating budget, asking for
Restoration of funding and hoping to further raise awareness on the positive progress being made on the frontlines of tobacco control in Ohio.
"stand is our way to fight back against Big Tobacco, which wants nothing more than to take our lives through addiction to their deadly products," said Seth Mitchell, a Tiffin stand Team member who also testified before committee. "We can't let the legislature take our voices and leave us defenseless against an industry that spends more than $1.8 million a day targeting us for addiction."
Senator Padgett, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, addressed the crowd of supporters, applauded their efforts and offered her assistance in reinstating TUPCF's funding. Supporters, wearing T-shirts with targets on them and holding "Sale Pending" signs, were energized by Padgett's support.
"To have Senator Padgett here with us today means a lot to me. Not only am I a TUPCF grantee, whose program could be in jeopardy if this funding is diverted, but I'm a constituent of Padgett's," said Stephanie Davis, cessation program manager, Selby General Hospital. "To have legislative support from such a well-respected member of the Ohio Senate is amazing. That she is my senator makes me feel like the work I do everyday to create a healthier future for Southeast Ohioans is respected and appreciated."
Accompanying Davis was Phyllis Longgrear, who successfully quit using tobacco after 60 years thanks to the cessation services funded by TUPCF and testified before committee.
Funding for the Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF), which sponsors stand, the free Ohio Tobacco Quit Line (800-QUIT-NOW), and more than 100 grant programs in Ohio, was most recently diverted by the Ohio House of Representatives last month. In the two-year budget passed by the House, approximately $23 million is diverted from the tobacco fund to pay for the E-Check auto emissions testing program in Northeast Ohio and more than $60 million is proposed to transition Medicaid's Aged, Blind and Disabled program to managed care among other diversions.
The current diversions are added to the more than $350 million already taken by the Ohio Legislature from TUPCF's endowment-money specifically set aside from 1998's Master Settlement Agreement to fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
"Today's rally is about showing our legislators we won't sit on the sidelines while they once again try to use our money for unrelated programs," said Mike Renner, TUPCF executive director. "In five short years since being created by the Ohio General Assembly, we have dramatically reduced smoking among youth and adults in Ohio. We are doing what they set us up to do -- saving Ohio lives and money -- exceeding expectations and creating a national model for similar programs."
TUPCF's comprehensive tobacco control programming has helped achieve some major results:
Smoking rates among Ohio's youth decreased 45 percent from 1999 to 2003, according to a 2003 study by the Ohio Department of Health. For the third consecutive year, adult smoking rates in Ohio have declined, with the state dropping to the 11th highest number of adult smokers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC).
According to the 2004 Adult Tobacco Survey, adult smoking in Ohio has decreased 17.4 percent from 26 percent in 2003 to 21.4 percent in 2004. This drop represents approximately 375,000 Ohioans.
The Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation (TUPCF) was created by the Ohio General Assembly in 2000 and is funded with monies secured from the national Master Settlement Agreement(MSA) between tobacco companies and 46 states. TUPCF is charged with reducing tobacco use among Ohioans, with an emphasis on youth, minority and regional populations, pregnant women and others who may be disproportionately affected by the use of tobacco. Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Best Practices, TUPCF programs include the distribution of community grants, the free Ohio Tobacco Quit Line (1-800-QUITNOW), and stand, Ohio's tobacco use counter-marketing campaign.
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