The Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation

In 1998, forty-five states -- including Ohio -- settled a lawsuit with the United States Tobacco Product Manufacturers. The states filed for damages because they discovered that tobacco use produced very high health care and taxpayer costs. This ruling, known as the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), requires that the tobacco companies pay damages to each state that was involved in the lawsuit.

In February of 2000, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation that defined how this money was to be spent. This proposal is known as Senate Bill 192, which Governor Bob Taft signed in March of 2000. This bill become the structure for Ohio's plan to decrease tobacco use.

The Ohio Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Foundation, also known as TUPCF, was formed as a part of Senate Bill 192. This foundation is responsible for the oversight of the estimated $1.2 billion that is expected to be received over a twelve year period. A part of this responsibility includes distributing grant monies to private and public oroanizations so that they may offer programs to Ohioans in an effort to reduce tobacco use.

In the spring of 2002, TUPCF began to accept applications from different agencies and coalitions who were seeking grant funding for tobacco control programs. The America Lung Association® of Ohio submitted the Word of Mouth program and was awarded money to bring the program to several different areas of Ohio. Funding may become available for two additional years. Because of this grant award, the children in your area will be able to receive the Word of Mouth program in their classroom.

TUPCF is continuing the process of funding agencies. Over 156 organizations recently submitted requests for funding for $2 million in grant funds for tobacco programs serving minority populations and those who have a high risk of using tobacco. In addition, 59 community groups have notified TUPCF that they will be submitting applications to receive funding for a second round of community programs.

For more information about TUPCF, visit their website at www.standohio.org. You may also visit the Word of Mouth web site at www.ccf.org/health/wordofmouth.