Oklahoma's Total Teen Smokers Higher than National Average

What should the state of Oklahoma do with $2.1 billion in tobacco settlement money?<br>42 per cent of Oklahoma's teenagers are tobacco users. The state figure is higher than the national average.

Tuesday, February 1st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

What should the state of Oklahoma do with $2.1 billion in tobacco settlement money?
42 per cent of Oklahoma's teenagers are tobacco users. The state figure is higher than the national average. Funding anti-smoking programs is just one of many options competing for the stateâ€™s tobacco windfall.

There's an intense battle going on over the nation's young people. It pits the tobacco industry against those who believe cigarettes and other tobacco products are stealing and ultimately hurting our youth. The American Cancer Society says the tobacco industry's major weapon is money. "In Oklahoma alone, they spend $64 million on advertising,â€ said cancer society spokesperson Jennifer Watkins. â€œWe don't have the funds to be able to do that. So you can use your imagination, but money wise, it's a very difficult battle."

That's why some states like Florida are using the money they received in lawsuits against the tobacco industry to fund campaigns like the gritty "Truth" campaign. Studies show the campaign is working. The Florida teen smoking rate has dropped 19 per cent. "They were counter-advertising for tobacco,â€ Watkins said. â€œThey basically tried to de-glamorize tobacco."

But this kind of effort takes money and the state of Oklahoma does not currently support tobacco-related education programs. State senate president Stratton Taylor is proposing that annual payments of between 25 and 40 million dollars be placed in an interest-bearing trust account, that would be administered by a bi-partisan, seven-member board. The plan does not designate funds for tobacco prevention. "I think it's probably going to be better if you have proposals before this board, to try to decide which ones work, as opposed to just blindly throwing money at it," Taylor said. "But we also need to keep the kids from starting. The awareness and the education must be there."

Florida's tobacco-funded campaign worked so well, the tobacco industry sued to stop it. Some of Oklahoma's proposals for tobacco funds have included using the money to boost the teacher pension fund and even allocating all the money to the turnpike authority.