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Ohio health department to study tobacco habits of gay teens 

Ohio health officials will use a federal grant aimed at preventing tobacco use among minorities to study why gay and lesbian teenagers smoke at a higher rate than their straight peers.

Health officials are allocating $60,000 to identify the smoking habits of those teens and develop a tobacco-prevention campaign for them.

Ohio Department of Health spokesman Kristopher Weiss says gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community has a smoking rate at about 40 to 60%.

As part of the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender Community Youth and Young Adults Anti-Tobacco Social Marketing Project, officials will form focus groups among youths ages 12 through 20

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