FOR RELEASE: March 7, 2002
CONTACT: Dick Gunn
405/271-5601

Tobacco State Plan Hearings Scheduled to Provide Public Input

Tobacco issues are hot topics of discussion this year in Oklahoma. During March and April, the Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Advisory Committee and staff at the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) will conduct public hearings across the state on the “Oklahoma State Plan for Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation.”

The development of a state plan is one of the functions of the Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Advisory Committee as stated in the Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Act, adopted by the Oklahoma Legislature in 2001. The Act calls for the 20-member Advisory Committee to develop a plan, implement it, and provide oversight of a comprehensive program to reduce tobacco use in Oklahoma.

As mandated by state law, the final state plan for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2002, is to be adopted no later than May 1, 2002. Comments made by the public will be considered for incorporation into the final plan.

The public hearings will be held at the following sites:

• March 25 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Cherokee Strip Conference Center Harvest Room located at 123 W. Main Ave. in Enid.
• March 27 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lawton Professional Development Center located at 2209 NW 25th in Lawton.
• March 29 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma Army National Guard Regional Training Institute Auditorium, Room 103, located at 6500 N Kelley Ave. in Oklahoma City.
• April 2 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Rudisill Library Auditorium located at 1520 N. Hartford between Cincinnati and Peoria, in Tulsa.
• April 4 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Southeast Expo Center located at 4500 W Highway 270 in McAlester.

Copies of the State Plan are available by contacting the OSDH Tobacco Use Prevention Service or downloading it from the OSDH web site at http://www.health.state.ok.us/program/tobac/stateplan.pdf.

For more information or to submit written or verbal comments, contact Tracey Strader, Executive Director, Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation Advisory Committee, 1000 NE 10th St., OKC, OK 73117 or call 405/271-3619.

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