Missouri plans to spend $11.6 million on a new stop-smoking program largely aimed at participants in MoHealthNet, the state's version of Medicaid, the Associated Press reported Jan. 8.

Under the plan unveiled by Gov. Matt Blunt, the state will spend $8.6 million preventing and treating smoking among low-income MoHealthNet patients, $2 million on youth antismoking efforts, and $1 million to expand a statewide quitline.

The plan followed a 2006 report asserting that Missouri was one of five U.S. states that spent no money on youth smoking prevention. The funding for the new initiative will come from the state's share of the nationwide tobacco settlement; Missouri has received more than $1 billion from the settlement since 1998.

The MoHealthNet part of the program is expected to help about 15,000 patients, who will now be able to get addiction counseling and smoking-cessation drugs.