Nebraska Revenue Committee Bill Fails to Address Tobacco Crisis
Statement from American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Nebraska Government Relations Director Megan Word
Tracy Lytwyn Fischer
Sr. Specialist, Media Advocacy
Indianapolis
ACS CAN Celebrates Wins, Decries Missed Opportunities for Cancer Prevention
April 22, 2017
The Indiana General Assembly concluded its 2017 legislative session with various outcomes for cancer prevention. Bryan Hannon, Indiana government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, released the following statement in response:
“Health advocates across the state truly came together this legislative session to work hard for Hoosiers, especially cancer patients and those at risk of the disease. We’d especially like to thank our lawmakers for their efforts on a new law to identify and address barriers to cervical cancer screening and treatment.
“Indiana’s cervical cancer incidence and death rates have remained stagnant for years, even with advancements in prevention. Because this disease often shows no symptoms, early detection is critical to a patient surviving a diagnosis. With this new law, Indiana will be able to stay ahead of this ‘silent killer’ and ensure more women have access to lifesaving cancer care.
“We’re also thrilled to see $2.5 million in new additional funding for statewide tobacco prevention and cessation programs. But the General Assembly could have taken a further step to reduce death and disease by increasing the cigarette tax by $1.50 per pack.
“For years, our state has ranked toward the bottom of nearly every nationwide health report. We have one of the highest adult smoking rates and one of the lowest cigarette tax rates in the country, which contribute to the deaths of 11,000 Hoosiers every single year. Boosting the tax by $1.50 per pack would have kept more than 48,000 young Hoosiers from picking up a cigarette and helped 58,500 current adult smokers quit the habit.
“Indiana families should not have to indefinitely shoulder the burden of tobacco use. ACS CAN will continue to pursue ways to stop the number-one preventable cause of death in our state and help more Hoosiers overcome their addiction. We look forward to continuing to work with the General Assembly on behalf of cancer patients, survivors and their families.”
ACS CAN is the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate organization of the American Cancer Society, dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage lawmakers, candidates and government officials to support laws and policies that will make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
More Press Releases About