Although Ohio's Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Foundation's statewide "stand" media campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of and prevent smoking is ID'd as a success in a recent report, leaders are still expecting cuts in the upcoming budget, the Toledo Blade reported Feb. 10.  

In recent years, the state legislature has allocated $568 million of tobacco-settlement funding for education, auto-emissions testing, and other programs. A state survey found that tobacco-prevention education reduced the likelihood of children aged 11-14 from smoking by 64 percent, while 15-to 17-year-olds unaware of the "stand" campaign were four times more likely to start smoking. As of 2003, approximately 22.2 percent of Ohio high school students smoked. 

Some members of the legislature disagree on the damage that reallocation of tobacco money will cause. Rep. Chuck Calvert (R., Medina), chairman of the House Finance Committee, said the foundation had $300 million already in its endowment, more than enough to handle the cuts without loss of efficacy. Its annual operating budget is $47.2 million.  

Bill Herman, a 19-year-old "stand" mentor disagreed. "If we're successful, we should be using more money so we can be even more successful," he said.