Cancer Advocates Celebrate Cancer Action Day

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Ohio, including 33.5% of cancer deaths. That is why Tipp City resident and cancer survivor Julie Turner recently spent the day at the Ohio Statehouse for Cancer Action Day. She and her fellow cancer advocates are calling on lawmakers to follow Gov. Mike DeWine’s lead and increase the state’s cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack and increase funding to $10 million per year for the Ohio Department of Health’s Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Program.

The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s Cancer Action Day brings cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates across the Buckeye State to the Statehouse to meet with their elected officials. Those gathered let lawmakers know that Ohio can and must do better to reduce the burden of cancer by reducing the incidence of the disease and improving access to care.

Ohio has some of the highest tobacco use rates in the country, and it is past time for lawmakers to take meaningful action. Increasing tobacco taxes is one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco use, especially among kids. The proposed $1.50 per pack increase is estimated to help 43,900 adults quit, keep 11,800 youth from becoming adults who smoke, and generate $318.42 million in new annual revenue.

Additionally, due to high rates of youth tobacco use in recent years, largely due to skyrocketing rates of e-cigarette use, the decades of progress that have been made in reducing tobacco use rates in youth are now in jeopardy. A well-funded, fact-based tobacco control program is needed to counteract the $409.6 million per year that tobacco companies are spending on marketing their deadly and addictive products in Ohio. As Big Tobacco has been working hard to addict future generations with e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, the need for funding for tobacco prevention programs has never been greater.

As a medical professional and chair of the Senate health committee, Sen. Stephen Huffman must ensure that these vital health measures are put back in the budget. Big Tobacco has taken too much from us already, with roughly 20,200 dying from smoking each year. Far too many Ohioans have lost a family member too early and missed out on important moments with family and friends.

Ohio can and must do better. Supporting these two legislative actions would generate revenue, reduce health care costs, protect kids, and save lives.