Lawmakers Urged To Spend Tobacco Money For Its Intended Purpose

As Missouri lawmakers grapple with ideas for spending this state’s share of the national tobacco settlement money, they’re hearing from someone with experience in the area. Doctor Gregory Connolly is the Director of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program. He’s met with legislators in Jefferson City to advise them not to take their focus away from cessation of smoking. Doctor Connolly says it’s fine to spend some of the settlement money on various projects, but he tells them it would be a mistake to divert attention from preventing young people from smoking in the first place and from helping those who are already hooked to stop smoking.