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Ohio Voters Prefer Raising Tobacco Tax to Raiding Tobacco Endowment to Fund Stimulus 

As the Ohio legislature acts to abolish tobacco prevention in the state, a new survey released today shows that nearly two-thirds of Ohio voters support a 75-cent increase in the state cigarette tax, with even greater support for increasing the tax on other tobacco products, to help fund the proposed economic stimulus package and fully fund Ohio's tobacco prevention efforts. The poll also found that, by a nearly two to one margin, voters prefer paying for the stimulus package with a cigarette tax increase rather than by taking money from the Ohio tobacco prevention fund, as Governor Ted Strickland and legislative leaders have proposed.

The poll of 607 Ohio voters was released today by the American Heart Association, American Lung Association and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided funding for the survey.

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