Hawaii Residents Support Smoking Cessation

It's no surprise that as one of the healthiest states in the country, nine out of ten Hawaii residents support using the state's tobacco settlement money for cessation programs and to reduce smoking among minors.

Certainly, there are many factors behind Hawaii's high standing in health, including a good health care system as well as a high percentage of physically active individuals and healthy eaters.

The settlement money going towards programs to quit comes from tobacco companies that compensate Hawaii taxpayers for health care costs that are caused by smoking. Imagine working in an industry where part of your budget is allocated to discouraging the use of your product! While companies in a vast array of industries are going under, it's truly amazing that big tobacco can continue to thrive even as they shell out money to get people to quit. That should really tell you something about the power of nicotine.

The "nine out of ten" statistic mentioned earlier came from a study held by Qmark research on behalf of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii. That study was held in response to the state Legislature's proposal to cut allocations to tobacco-prevention and control programs. The survey included 500 participants from Maui, Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a budget of $15 million for Hawaii tobacco-control programs and we're using only $8 million for the purpose. Cutting that amount further is clearly a decision that Hawaii residents will not support.

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