Columbus, OH – January 17, 2019 – As lawmakers dive into the new year, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) looks ahead to what public health initiatives our lawmakers can accomplish in the 2019 legislative session. Ohio has a long way to go when it comes to both tobacco control policy and access to care for cancer patients.
ACS CAN is committed to working with Ohio’s leaders to enact evidence-based solutions for our communities. ACS CAN is working to protect all Ohioans from the health harms of tobacco by asking lawmakers to fund the state’s tobacco prevention and cessation program at $35 million annually. ACS CAN also supports increasing the price of tobacco products by equalizing the tax on other tobacco products (OTP) including e-cigarettes with the tax on cigarettes.
Ohio’s tax on OTP has not been updated since its inception over 25 years ago. By significantly increasing taxes on cigars, little cigars, smokeless tobacco and all other tobacco products, lawmakers can work to prevent tobacco initiation by our youth, save lives, reduce health care costs and generate new revenue for the state.
ACS CAN also advocates for increased access to care for hard working Ohioans to improve early cancer detection, treatment outcomes and the quality of life for cancer patients and survivors. One way this can be done is by maintaining state funding for the Ohio Department of Health’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Project. This program helps to fill the health care coverage gap by providing low-income, uninsured and underinsured women access to mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. By increasing access to care, the state can reduce the number of Ohioans who will hear “you have cancer”.
ACS CAN volunteers look forward to meeting with lawmakers during the annual Cancer Action Day on April 10. ACS CAN encourages businesses or organizations that are interested in these issues to reach out to ACS CAN to get involved.
About ACS CAN
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is making cancer a top priority for public officials and candidates at the federal, state and local levels. ACS CAN empowers advocates across the country to make their voices heard and influence evidence-based public policy change as well as legislative and regulatory solutions that will reduce the cancer burden. As the American Cancer Society’s nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, ACS CAN is critical to the fight for a world without cancer. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org.
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