As an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network volunteer, I wanted to say mahalo to Sen. Roz Baker for supporting tobacco prevention efforts this session and express my appreciation to Gov. David Ige for intending to veto legislation that would eliminate dedicated funding to fight tobacco use.

Hawaii’s tobacco control program is very successful. For 20 years it has prevented youth from starting to use tobacco and helped adults quit. This is critical since nearly 31 percent of Hawaii’s high schoolers currently use e-cigarettes and tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death.

By eliminating this funding, we’ll likely see a nearly 9 percent increase in youth smoking rates and significantly higher costs to our health care system in future years. Smoking already costs the state and taxpayers about $526 million in annual health care costs.

At this critical moment, we must do everything to keep our communities healthy and safe. Gov. Ige, thank you for your support of tobacco control in our state. Please protect Hawaii’s keiki and ensure a healthier future for all residents by vetoing House Bill 1296.

Cheryl Okuma

Wailuku