Cancer Advocates Rallied at Oklahoma Capitol in Push to Preserve Tobacco Prevention Efforts

Oklahoma City, OKLAHOMA - Survivors, caregivers and advocates from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) gathered at the Capitol today for Cancer Action Day where they asked lawmakers to defend the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) from efforts to divert its funding or eliminate its board.

“Over 25 years, TSET’s efforts to prevent tobacco use and help people quit have contributed to a 50 percent decrease in adult smoking in Oklahoma. TSET’s mission is too important for its resources to be used to bail out the budget or fund projects outside its voter-approved constitutional mandate,” said Matt Glanville, ACS CAN Oklahoma  government relations director. “TSET must maintain the ability to work on its core mission, especially considering that 34.2% of cancer deaths are due to smoking in Oklahoma.”

Over 50 volunteers met with their lawmakers, sharing their personal connection to cancer and their why for advocating.

“Like many Oklahomans I have lost loved ones to cancer, that’s why I show up. When our stories, our passion and our voices come together in one place at the Oklahoma State Capitol, it is powerful,” said Corey Seaman, state lead ambassador for ACS CAN Oklahoma.

ACS CAN volunteers also asked lawmakers to preserve access to Medicaid and voter-approved Medicaid expansion.

“When people lose coverage, they are more likely to delay cancer screenings or treatment until a diagnosis becomes more advanced and far more expensive to treat,” Glanville said.

“Since the state implemented Medicaid expansion in 2021, Oklahoma’s uninsured rate dropped from 17.6% in 2019 to 13.9% by late 2024. That’s 250,000 hardworking Oklahomans gaining access to lifesaving coverage who can now get preventive cancer screenings. We can’t go backward.”