ANDERSON — After smoking killed her parents, Karesha Knight-Wilkinson, executive director of Intersect Incorporated, a group dedicated to alcohol, tobacco and drug prevention, decided to fight back.
Knight-Wilkerson and the Minority Health Coalition traveled to the Statehouse on March 9 to inform legislators about the need for an increase in the tobacco tax and additional funds for the Indiana Tobacco Prevention Program
Indiana has not had a tobacco tax increase since 2007, she said. The proposed $2 hike would bring in $371 million in new revenue, which the state could spend on health initiatives.
She and others advocated for an up to $15 million funding hike for the Indiana Tobacco Prevention Program, a program dedicated to tobacco cessation and prevention. Wilkinson said they are at $9 million per the governor’s budget.
Just like last year, Knight-Wilkerson will be advocating for a smoking ban in Indiana that would include all public areas, such as parks, bars and casinos.
Loss of revenue is often a fear of bars and casinos. However, in the case of casinos, a June 2022 report published by the Casino Consultants Consortium suggests the opposite.
“An examination of gaming revenues in commercial casinos post pandemic reveals that those casinos that implemented smoking prohibitions did not experience any drop in revenues or lost market share to nearby casinos that continued to offer smoking environments,” according to the study.
Smoking also has a distinctly negative impact on minorities.
Veda Morris May, executive director for the Minority Health Coalition of Madison County said despite smoking fewer cigarettes and starting at an older age, African Americans are more likely to suffer smoking related illnesses and death.
Tobacco companies often target minorities with ads and lower prices, Morris-May said, noting the new smoke shop on 8th Street and Scatterfield Road as an example.
Adults 21 and over aren’t the only one’s at risk; youth, she said, are being targeted as well.
Flavored cigarettes, vapes and other tobacco products have proven popular with youth. Indiana Department of Health reported that 1 in 5 high school
In Morris-May’s opinion, vapes are a major health threat in regards to youth.
She and her colleagues at Minority Health Coalition are going against the trends with several tobacco-related programs, including a TikTok Contest that began March; the winner(s) will be announced April 24.
Winners will receive a monetary prize; amounts were not disclosed.
