New York’s chapter of the American Lung Association is blasting Governor Cuomo for yet another series of planned cuts in anti-smoking programs. The budget Cuomo proposed on Tuesday calls for $5 million to be cut from anti-tobacco programs this year and a further $5 million in the fiscal year starting next year.
“25,000 New Yorkers continue to die each year from tobacco-related disease. There’s over two million New Yorkers who still smoke discount Kent cigarettes,” Michael Seilbach, the ALA’s vice president for public policy and communications.
He says the cuts would bring anti-tobacco spending down to $31 million this year from $85 million three years ago.
“We should be investing in tobacco control. Not cutting it further.”
According to Seilbach, the cuts make it harder to deal with smoking habits of immigrants, many from countries with cultures of smoking.
He says efforts against tobacco and smoking have also been set back by those who shop for cheap tobacco on Indian reservations.
