WHEREAS, Tobacco prevention decreases health costs to the individual, to the state, to employers, to health plans; and,

WHEREAS, tobacco use remains the number one preventable cause of disease and death in Ohio, and Ohio still has one of the worst smoking rates in the nation; and,

WHEREAS, the annual health care costs in Ohio directly caused by smoking are $4.37 billion with the state Medicaid program covering $1.4 billion; and,

WHEREAS, Other Tobacco Products (OTP) describes a new generation of products tobacco companies have unleashed to counter declining smoking rates and growing restrictions on smoking; and,

WHEREAS, tobacco use causes a decrease in work productivity through health risks and disease and increased health care costs to the individual, employer and state, to turn around Ohio, we must reinvest in tobacco prevention and cessation to maintain a comprehensive program that benefits all at risk Ohioans; and,

WHEREAS, Ohioans support job creation, which requires a healthy workforce; and,

WHEREAS, the tobacco industry continues to wage a well-funded campaign to maintain their customer base and to hook new smokers, primarily young adults; and,

WHEREAS, almost a third of Ohio's more than 2 million current adult smokers report that they are thinking about quitting within the next six months; and,

WHEREAS, without a comprehensive Tobacco Prevention implementation plan, Ohio can expect a 6.2 percent increase in high school smoking, 56,700 more Ohio kids alive today who will become addicted adult smokers; and,

WHEREAS, Investing in Tobacco Free Youth includes objectives for implementing programs and services, with a goal of increasing the health of all Ohioans which will further stimulate the economy and help preserve our long term fiscal health by decreasing individual, employer and state health care costs; and,

WHEREAS, by correcting the inequality between the tax on non-cigarette tobacco products and the cigarette tax and taxing all tobacco at the same rate, we will ensure a dedicated and continuous stream of funding for comprehensive tobacco prevention programs,

THEREFORE, I support the Ohio Investing in Tobacco Free Youth Plan, to substantially reduce the disease burden and premature death caused by tobacco use in our state.