JUNEAU, Alaska –– Cancer patients, survivors, their families and caregivers are gathering today to let legislators know they must do more to reduce the toll of tobacco in communities big and small by protecting the Alaska tobacco use education and cessation fund.
That fund supports efforts to reduce the deadly toll of tobacco in the state’s largest cities and smallest villages. Fund recipients do this through development of youth prevention programs, protecting the public from secondhand smoke and promotion of cessation programs as well as health equity efforts, identifying and eliminating tobacco-related disparities.
Volunteers will ask lawmakers to support comprehensive tobacco prevention efforts, including prevention and cessation programs to prevent kids from starting to use tobacco and help those already addicted to quit. Volunteers will ask lawmakers to support comprehensive tobacco prevention efforts, including prevention and cessation programs, keeping kids from starting and helping those already addicted to quit. Advocates will emphasize the importance of reducing tobacco use to reduce the overall cancer burden in the state as 28% of Alaska cancer deaths can be attributed to smoking.
“Due to high rates of youth tobacco use in recent years, largely due to skyrocketing rates of e-cigarette use, the decades of progress that have been made in reducing tobacco use rates in youth is now in jeopardy,” American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Alaska Government Relations Director Emily Nenon said. “A comprehensive, community-based tobacco control program is needed to counteract the $16.4 million per year that tobacco companies are spending on marketing their deadly and addictive products in Alaska. As Big Tobacco works hard to addict future generations with e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, the need for supporting tobacco prevention programs has never been greater.”
Telehealth access will also be on the agenda for advocates, who will ask lawmakers to continue to build on legislation passed in the past two legislative cycles, this time by assuring parity of payment through state-regulated insurance plans. The legislation would require that providers be reimbursed at the same rate for telehealth services as for in-person treatment.
ACS CAN encourages individuals, businesses and organizations that are interested in getting involved in the fight against cancer to visit https://www.fightcancer.org/states/alaska