Michigan voters may soon have the opportunity to voice their opinion on where the remainder of Michigan’s $8 billion portion of the tobacco settlement money goes. For those who will take the time to vote, smokers and nonsmokers alike, the chance is a breath of fresh air.
A coalition intending to amend the state’s Constitution to direct 90 percent of Michigan’s tobacco settlement money toward health care turned in 476,083 signatures Monday, far more than was required for the initiative to make it onto the Nov. 5 ballot.
Beginning in March, the coalition unveiled its Healthy Michigan Amendment, a proposal that would set aside 90 percent of the tobacco money to health care.
Currently, 31 percent of the money is earmarked for the state’s 2002 Merit Award Scholarship program. The main use of the money has been the $328 million spent on the scholarship. It is the money that is spent on the scholarship and other nonhealth affiliated endeavors that have led groups like the Citizens for a Healthy Michigan to believe the money is being used for political purposes instead of bettering the state’s health.
Such claims might appear to be well-grounded.
Higher education budgeting is almost always a hot issue with the state legislature and politicians are making every effort to dodge claims of bad budgeting as Michigan faces one of it’s worse budget years in recent memory.
Lawmakers have raided the state’s “rainy-day” fund, leaving it at $33 million, down from $1.2 billion in fall 2000.
In a time when belts are being tightened everywhere, the people of Michigan have a right to decide where such a large amount of money should go. While higher education is a prime concern, health issues might be just as important.
It is estimated that 14,700 people die each year in Michigan from smoking-related illnesses, according to the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids.
The state already spends about $2.65 billion annually on health care directly related to tobacco usage. Michigan lawmakers also passed Tuesday a measure to raise the cigarette tax from 75 cents to $1.25, making the state’s duty the third highest in the United States.
Some say the tax hike will both help the state’s budget woes and deter smokers from digging deeper in their wallets to light up, but an additional 50 cents a pack is hardly a deterrent for most hard-core smokers.
Instead, programs promoting early prevention might be a better route, cutting down long-term costs and promoting better health right from the start.
Spending more money on tobacco health issues might be help that cause.
When the boon of such an extra amount of money like tobacco settlement dollars comes along, it shouldn’t be spent hastily, carefully weighing the options.
Michigan voters have a right to decide were they want the $8 million spent, and it now appears they will.
