Wednesday, February 4, 2004
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Wednesday, February 4, 2004 |
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Tobacco control advocates honor local resident The Georgia Alliance for Tobacco Prevention honored Peachtree City resident Kathie Cheney for helping to pave the way for the group’s increasingly successful campaign to protect public health. Officials with the Alliance presented Cheney with an award for her outstanding contributions to keep Georgians protected from secondhand smoke. Public opinion surveys in Georgia show broad concern about the use of tobacco and support for stepped-up tobacco prevention efforts. A statewide poll conducted by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in June 2002 showed that eight in 10 Georgia voters (83 percent) were concerned about smoking among our youth with seven in 10 voters supporting a hike in the state user fee on cigarettes by as much as 75-cent-per-pack. “People have been way ahead of the curve,” said Nancy Schaff, the executive director of the Alliance, “in recognizing that we need to do more when it comes to tobacco use in order to protect health — not just the health of those who use it, but also the health of people who don’t. Kathie Cheney recognized that fact, and did a great job of transforming that sentiment into momentum for change.” The Georgia Alliance for Tobacco Prevention is a coalition of community organizations, hospitals and public health advocates ranging from the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association to the Georgia Parent & Teacher Association. The Alliance is working toward a future where fewer children become addicted to tobacco, fewer people are exposed to secondhand smoke, and where tobacco users can find the help they need to quit and remain tobacco-free.
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