OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) —
Health officials in Oklahoma said they are disappointed the price of cigarettes will not go up in the state.
A law, the state Supreme Court struck down Thursday, would have added $1.50 in fees to every pack sold in Oklahoma.
"So now 7,000 people are doomed unless we change that," Terry Cline said. "Unless we increase that price point."
Cline is the Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Commissioner of Health.
He said cigarettes are the number one cause of preventable death in Oklahoma, saying smoking kills more than 7,000 Oklahomans a year.
Clines said no matter the true intentions behind the law, increasing the price of cigarettes is the single-most effective way to stop smoking.
"The price point at a $1.50 increase is enough for people to quit or they won't pick up the habit," Cline said.
John Woods, with the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, or TSET, agreed. TSET works to get Oklahomans to live health lives.
"There's a lot that we can do. There's a lot we do here at TSET, but certainly raising the prices of cigarettes is one of the most effective tools to reduce the burden of smoking," Woods said.
Related: Ruling on 'cigarette fee' a blow to mental health providers
He said the fee was projected to keep 28,200 children from becoming adult smokers. It was supposed to cause 30,400 adults smokers to quit, he said. The measure would have also saved millions of dollars in health care costs.
Woods and Cline said this is a police they hope lawmakers will continue to consider.
"It's an epidemic and it's something we're cognizant of and we need to do to reduce that preventable death for our state and for our citizens," Woods said.
"If you have the power as a legislator, of as the people to actually prevent an entire generation of people from smoking, what a gift it is for this generation and the next one," Cline said,
Health officials in Oklahoma said they are disappointed the price of cigarettes will not go up in the state.
A law, the state Supreme Court struck down Thursday, would have added $1.50 in fees to every pack sold in Oklahoma.
"So now 7,000 people are doomed unless we change that," Terry Cline said. "Unless we increase that price point."
Cline is the Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Commissioner of Health.
He said cigarettes are the number one cause of preventable death in Oklahoma, saying smoking kills more than 7,000 Oklahomans a year.
Clines said no matter the true intentions behind the law, increasing the price of cigarettes is the single-most effective way to stop smoking.
"The price point at a $1.50 increase is enough for people to quit or they won't pick up the habit," Cline said.
John Woods, with the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, or TSET, agreed. TSET works to get Oklahomans to live health lives.
"There's a lot that we can do. There's a lot we do here at TSET, but certainly raising the prices of cigarettes is one of the most effective tools to reduce the burden of smoking," Woods said.
Related: Ruling on 'cigarette fee' a blow to mental health providers
He said the fee was projected to keep 28,200 children from becoming adult smokers. It was supposed to cause 30,400 adults smokers to quit, he said. The measure would have also saved millions of dollars in health care costs.
Woods and Cline said this is a police they hope lawmakers will continue to consider.
"It's an epidemic and it's something we're cognizant of and we need to do to reduce that preventable death for our state and for our citizens," Woods said.
"If you have the power as a legislator, of as the people to actually prevent an entire generation of people from smoking, what a gift it is for this generation and the next one," Cline said,
Resource : http://okcfox.com/news/local/health-officials-despite-any-intentions-cigarette-fee-would-have-saved-lives
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