Lisa A. Lacasse: ACS CAN calls on the administration to ensure sustained investment in tobacco control initiatives
Lisa A. Lacasse, President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), shared a post on LinkedIn:
“We’re very concerned with today’s news coming out of the Department of Health and Human Services that threatens the nation’s progress in the fight against cancer. While we continue to evaluate the broad impact to all agencies, one significant area of note is in tobacco control.
The recent layoffs at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, including Center Director Brian King being removed from his post, and the shuttering of the CDC’s Office of Smoking and Health jeopardize public health advancements to reduce cancer and other chronic diseases by retreating from proven tobacco control efforts, which are critical for safeguarding public health.
A recent study from the American Cancer Society revealed that nearly four million premature lung cancer deaths were averted, resulting in an astounding 76 million years of life gained due to effective tobacco control policies. With tobacco use continuing to account for 30% of cancer deaths and costing Americans more than $240 billion in health-related expenses, these cuts threaten to reverse decades of progress in combating tobacco use.
Additionally, these layoffs also give the tobacco industry – who has proven they will lie, cheat, and litigate their way out of government oversight – almost free rein to continue to sell their deadly products, targeting our youth, without giving communities and individuals the information and resources they need to quit and prevent people, especially youth, from ever starting.
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) calls on the administration to reverse course and ensure sustained investment in tobacco control initiatives. It is crucial that we uphold our commitment to public health if the administration is to meet its goal of Making America Healthy Again. Without immediate action, we risk losing the significant strides we’ve made in combating tobacco use and protecting future generations.
For more on our concerns on these broad cuts across HHS agencies, see our full statement here.”
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