A new organization has been formed to work on multiple fronts to reduce disease and death caused by tobacco in Indiana. The Tobacco Free Indiana Coalition is made up of representatives from more than 100 local, state, and national public health organizations, as well as faith-based organizations. Campaign Coordinator Lindsay Grace says cigarettes and other tobacco products lead to chronic health diseases, and death, and their goal is to, “promote proven strategies that can help adults quit tobacco, prevent youth from starting, and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.” Grace says states investing more on these types of programs are seeing tangible results in reducing smoking, and Indiana needs to do the same. Tobacco Free Indiana reports last year, Indiana received 590 million dollars in revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, yet only spent nine-point-three million, or less than two-percent, on programs to help smokers quit, and prevent kids from smoking.
The coalition has identified the following priorities:
-          Advocate for sustained, increased funding for Indiana’s Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program to implement evidence-based tobacco control interventions guided by the CDC.
-          Promote high and equitable prices for all tobacco products
-          Defeat attempts to promote “harm reduction strategies”
-          Defeat attempts to weaken Indiana’s smokefree law and look for opportunities to protect more workers from secondhand smoke at the state and local level

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