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Jump to full article: WKRN-TV Ch. 2 (Nashville, TN), 2002-07-30
Intro: State after state are spending the tobacco money on projects that have nothing to do with public health.
Tennessee did it. In 2001, we poured our first three years of tobacco money into the state's general fund to avoid a tax hike. In fact, nation-wide, only five percent of the tobacco settlement money has been used for tobacco prevention.
Dr. John Seffrin, from the American Cancer Society states, "We are all sympathetic that in these difficult economic times every state has a tough budget to make. No one ever envisioned that kind of money new money, non taxed based money would go for potholes, prisons and golf courses."
Despite the lack of health spending, smoking levels are down since the settlement. For both teenagers and adults.
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