Tobacco Rally Planned at the Ohio Statehouse Next Week

The AMCNO will be participating in a tobacco rally next week meant to as the governor and the General Assembly to find a way to continue to fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs in Ohio. The AMCNO strongly supports HB 572 – a bill currently under review by the General Assembly. The legislation corrects the imbalance between the “other tobacco products” (OTP) tax which includes all non-cigarette forms of tobacco and the cigarette tax, and dedicates the revenue generated—approximately $53 to $59 million a year—to tobacco prevention and cessation. The legislation would set up a special fund for the money and a special Center within the Ohio Department of Health requiring that the money be used for tobacco prevention and cessation. Both of these provisions would provide a layer of legislative protection to insure that the money is not used for other purposes. The AMCNO is a strong advocate for raising the tax on other tobacco products and we have become an active participant in the Investing in Tobacco-Free Youth Coalition campaign. The group is dedicated to reducing the problem of non-cigarette tobacco produced, or OTP. The AMCNO has sent strong letters of support to the sponsor of HB 572 as well as to all of the representatives on the committee reviewing the legislation. AMCNO will report on the rally in future emails to our members.