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by crackerjack
on Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:03 am |
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Frank Leone and Joseph O. Minott
The war against the ravages of tobacco smoke has been waged for years. While there have been major victories, we now stand at the brink of a potentially serious defeat.
In 1998, Pennsylvania’s attorney general settled a lawsuit with the country’s major tobacco companies, recovering some of the financial burden imposed by the industry’s predatory practices. Big tobacco was made to pay $11.3 billion over 20 years.
In 2001, the state General Assembly passed Act 77, which allocated that money to various health care concerns. Almost all of the funds went to offset the costs of gaps in insurance and into supporting research. Only a small portion was dedicated to preventing tobacco use among children and helping adults stop smoking.
Despite the minimal allocations, Pennsylvania’s smoking cessation and prevention programs have been extremely successful. In 2001, an estimated 24 percent of Pennsylvania’s adults used tobacco. Estimates as recent as July suggest that number is down to 18 percent.
This achievement was made possible, in large part, by the extraordinary efforts of nonprofit community organizations, keeping costs down while bringing services to the neighborhoods where they’re needed most. This has saved lives, reduced the burden of suffering, and has put millions of dollars in reduced health care costs back into our economy each year.
The current budget proposal cuts this investment in half. The proposed 50 percent cut in funding will devastate smoking cessation and prevention programs
http://www.centredaily.com/opinion/story/1531349.html |
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crackerjack
Toker
Joined: Sep 08, 2009
Posts: 83
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by Pete Gatti
on Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:11 am |
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crackerjack wrote:
The current budget proposal cuts this investment in half. The proposed 50 percent cut in funding will devastate smoking cessation and prevention programs
I guess that means they'll have to cut their nico-chicklets in half so there's enough to go around. 
Thanks for the great news, a sign that the tipping point is at hand. |
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Pete Gatti
Enthusiastic Smoker
Joined: Mar 26, 2009
Posts: 222
Location: Dade City, Florida
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