Two years ago, Erie County was awarded $212 million as compensation from tobacco companies as part of a lawsuit settlement, according to the Jan. 13 Buffalo News. The money was intended mostly to aid the anti-smoking cause in the area. Fighting smoking, however, has taken a back seat to civic restoration projects funded by the tobacco money, apportioned by the Giambra administration since the settlement.
For that money, Buffalo is getting newly repaired roads and bridges, new elevators at Erie County Medical Center, fire alarms at a senior citizens' home, and a 2001 grade of D for spending on anti-smoking programs from the American Lung Association, dedicating only 26 cents per person to the cause. Monroe County earned a C, spending 68 cents per person; New York City received a B, at $1.62 per person; and Suffolk County on Long Island received an A+ spending $4.02 per resident, according to the Dec. 13, 2001 Buffalo News. It is simply disgraceful that a county that was given a chance to affect a change in the fortunes of its young people and minorities has squandered that chance.
Studies have shown that minorities in particular have a higher chance of becoming smokers, and as many of existing anti-smoking projects are directed toward suburban white communities, it seems this tendency will change little in Erie County. In an article in the Jan. 13 Buffalo News, Assemblywoman Crystal D. Peoples asserted that most tobacco advertisements are directed toward minority communities and that that is where the money ultimately should go in fighting smoking. She is also right when she says that the current use of the money is not fair.
Appropriate uses of the money would be initiatives like a flier campaign warning of the dangers of the use of various tobacco products, offering tips on how to quit, and adequate publication of phone numbers of support groups and doctors. A continuance of billboard advertising against cigarette smoking is an acceptable use of the money, as would be funding for organizations that offer support to smokers thinking about or trying to quit smoking.
Ultimately, education is the answer in dealing with the nation's smoking problem. If people are more informed about the short- and long-term consequences that result from smoking, they are less likely to start, particularly if they are young and are still relatively uninformed about what tobacco products can do the body. As there is still more than $100 million left from the original settlement, there is still time to remedy the misuse of these funds. While no citizen would complain about bettering the quality of roads in the area, no citizen would be able to convincingly argue that these improvements should take precedence over the intended use of the money, namely, to keep people from smoking.
Erie County's government needs to have the best interests of its constituents at the top of its agenda, and it needs to appropriately handle a large sum of money designed for public health with public health in mind. There is no excuse for ignoring public health, especially when there is money available to pay attention to it. Hopefully, Erie County's government will recognize the error of its ways and will dedicate itself to the greatest good of its citizens by using the tobacco money for what it was intended.
Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
