January 23, 2024

Dear Editor,

As a parent of five young adults, wife of a high school teacher and an oncology nurse of 30 years, I am concerned about Big Tobacco’s enormous toll on our state. To reduce tobacco’s negative impact, I am calling on Senator Tim Schaffer not to support a vote to override Governor DeWine’s veto of legislation limiting local control.

Our lawmakers must do better to protect Ohio youth from Big Tobacco. 3.3% of all high school students in Ohio smoke cigarettes, and 20% of high school students use e-cigarettes.

Amid this growing youth tobacco epidemic, we need local communities to have the ability to pass laws to protect our kids. Local governments are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the people in their communities.

As a nurse working with cancer patients, I have often heard my patients state, “I wish I had never started smoking. It was too difficult to quit, and now here I am”. Most of these patients admittedly described the addiction as having started during their teen years. My husband similarly reports that his high school students think they are “cool” because they smoke or use e-cigarettes, and they feel that they are invincible.

If lawmakers can commit to protecting local control, we can reduce the numbers, save lives and create real and sustainable change. As a caring resident of our state, I urge Sen. Schaffer and lawmakers to help prevent kids from starting to use tobacco by protecting local government’s rights.

Yours In the Fight Against Cancer,
Kristi Schimberg, RN, BSN, OSU, The James, ACS CAN, Lead Ambassador District 12
kristischimberg@yahoo.com

The State of Ohio has an interactive webpage which can help you find your district’s senator and send them a message.