The "Health First" tobacco settlement allocation plan announced by state Reps. John Fritchey and Sara Feigenholtz is one of the most fiscally and socially responsible plans proposed by any state in the country. If approved by the state government, it could well become the national model for investment and use of tobacco settlement funds, by focusing on sound investment and health-related programs, with the largest amount (up to $61.5 million) targeting tobacco education, prevention and cessation.
When the 22 state attorneys general sued the tobacco industry, their goal was clear: to "protect our children" from deadly tobacco products and recover healtn costs incurred in treating tobacco-related illnesses-Oral Health America's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP) works to educate the public, especially children. about the dangers of spit tobacco. or "smokeless" tobacco. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seven out of 10 high school students have tried spit tobacco, which packs four times the amount of nicotine in cigarettes.
We hope that the "Health First" plan will be passed this fall, before Illinois receives the first payment at the end of the year. This is not a time for partisan wrangling, but a chance to protect our children from manipulation, addiction and disease.
Robert J. Klaus
Oral Health America
Joe Garagiola
National Chairman, NSTEP
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Correction
Frank Lloyd Wright's Living Space by Gail Satler was published in 1999 by Northern Illinois University Press. We incorrectly identified the publisher in one reference in our October issue. We regret the confusion.
40 December 1999 Illinois Issues