On May 8, the Connecticut State Legislature passed HB5523, a bill that suspends funds allocated to the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund for 2025. Ruth Canovi, Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association in Connecticut, expressed her organization's concern over this decision.
"We are deeply dismayed by the changes made in the budget stabilizing bill which suspends funds allocated to the Tobacco and Health Trust Fund for 2025," said Canovi. "These funds were approved last year following more than two decades of cuts, sweeps and redirections of its funding since 2000."
The purpose of this fund is to assist Connecticut residents in quitting tobacco addiction and preventing future generations from starting. By cutting it once again, Canovi believes that legislators are putting Connecticut lives at risk.
"Connecticut receives more than $120M every year from the Master Settlement Agreement with the tobacco industry," she explained. "Using just 10% of that for prevention and cessation is a more than reasonable request, especially this year when the state has a significant surplus."
Canovi pointed out that Connecticut received an F grade for funding levels in the 2024 State of Tobacco Control Report. The CDC recommends that Connecticut invest $32M annually in state tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
"$0 is unacceptable," Canovi stated emphatically. "The Tobacco and Health Trust Fund Board’s activities are just getting off the ground and they are doing an excellent job."
In response to Governor Lamont's declaration in 2019 that raiding this fund has "gotta stop", Canovi agreed then and continues to agree now. She calls on Governor Lamont and the Connecticut State Legislature to reinstate investment in health and use funds for their intended purpose.
