Programs designed to help Ohioans quit smoking or vaping tobacco products face a nearly 50% cut under a draft of the state budget unveiled last week by Republican state senators.
FILE- This June 14, 2018, file photo shows cartons of Marlboro cigarettes on the shelves at JR outlet in Burlington, N.C. COLUMBUS, Ohio –
But Ohio Senate Finance Chairman Matt Dolan, a Chagrin Falls Republican, said the program doesn’t spend all the money it’s allotted each year, and the budget proposal still fully funds it when compared to its annual spending over the past few years. For two, he said the program has worked: Ohio’s adult smoking rate has declined from 25.5% in 2011 to 18% in 2021. And 33% of those who used the quit line stayed smoke free for six months – three times the national success rate reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pete LuPiba, a spokesman for the state Office of Budget and Management, confirmed Dolan’s comments. But he said the program has spent $10.2 million to date thus far in fiscal year 2023, and that the governor’s requested budget increase was aimed to increase “critical prevention and cessation services.”
Leo Almeida, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society, which advocates for anti-tobacco and pro-cessation policies, said some of this underspending came because of pandemic-related interruptions.“I don’t know what will happen to the ability to serve as many people as it has in the past,” he said. “It’s definitely going to take a hit.”
DeWine vetoed legislation passed by fellow Republicans that would have blocked Ohio cities and counties from banning flavored tobacco products
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