Invest in tobacco prevention programs

To the editor:

This year Iowa lawmakers are faced with another tough budget problem. But the challenge of balancing the books is made worse by the human and financial burden that continued tobacco use imposes on the State.

Each year, tobacco use results in the death of more than 5,100 Iowans; they die from lung cancer, heart disease and emphysema. Treating tobacco-related diseases result in medical bills and hospital visits totaling more than $1 billion (yes, a billion) in health care costs and is the number one, preventable, cause of premature death in the state.

We need to keep fighting this life and death battle, but unfortunately Iowa spends less than 20 percent of what the Centers for Disease Control say needs to be spent in order to effectively combat tobacco use in our state. This is false economy when one considers how cost-effective it is to support tobacco control programs that will prevent someone from ever starting this deadly habit.

Lawmakers should make wise choices this budget cycle and preserve support for our proven and effective tobacco prevention and cessation programs. These not only save money - they also save lives.

Christopher Squier

Iowa City