A Connecticut anti-smoking organization that wants the state to help needy Medicaid clients kick the habit has gained a powerful ally, The Associated Press reports.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s new budget, unveiled Wednesday, funds the smoking cessation services, beginning Jan. 1, 2012. The budget includes $3.75 million in the first year for the program, and $7.5 million in the second. Malloy argues it will improve people’s health and save the state money in the long run.
The group Mobilize Against Tobacco for Connecticut’s Health, also known as the MATCH Coalition, has scheduled a forum on the subject in Hartford on Thursday.
A representative from Tobacco Free Mass., a Massachusetts-based anti-smoking group, will be on hand to talk about that state’s comprehensive cessation program. The organization says 75,000 people have used it over the past 2 1/2 years.
