Michelle Zimmerman
Senior Regional Media Advocacy Manager
Youth E-cigarette Epidemic Prompts American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network to Seek Legislation Addressing Tobacco Addiction
ACS CAN Eager to Work with the Legislature to Reduce Big Tobacco’s Toll on Ohioans
January 14, 2020
Columbus, Ohio – As lawmakers dive into the new year, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is pursuing legislation that will ease the burden of cancer in Ohio. The latest edition of the ACS CAN’s How Do You Measure Up? report shows that Ohio can do better when it comes to implementing legislation to prevent and reduce suffering and death from cancer, especially when it comes to tobacco control and cancer prevention.
ACS CAN is advocating for:
Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Funding: Increasing funding to $35 million annually is a vital first step to protect Ohio youth from tobacco. This is especially important in 2020 given the ongoing youth e-cigarette epidemic. This increase would mean an estimated 10,620 fewer kids would grow up to become addicted adult smokers and 3,640 fewer kids would die prematurely from smoking.
Indoor Tanning Legislation: ACS CAN supports legislation (HB 329) that would prohibit all those under 18, with no exceptions, from using indoor tanning devices. The use of indoor tanning devices among Ohio’s high school students is at 17.7% which is double the national average. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study predicts prohibiting indoor tanning among children younger than 18 years nationwide could prevent 61,839 melanoma cases, prevent 6,725 melanoma deaths and save the U.S. $342.9 million in treatment costs over the group’s lifetime.
ACS CAN volunteers look forward to meeting with lawmakers during ACS CAN’s annual Cancer Action Day on Thursday, May 14. ACS CAN encourages individuals, businesses and organizations that are interested in these issues to reach out to ACS CAN to get involved in the fight against cancer at: fightcancer.org/OH.
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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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