Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - They are the sometimes disturbing anti-smoking commercials that many people are talking about – but if Gov. Andrew Cuomo has his way, they may not continue.
Cuomo’s proposed budget includes a $5 million cut to the program used to pay for the ads that make many people uncomfortable.
The ads run frequently in an effort to keep people from lighting up and to stop those who do.
And smoking cessation programs say they’re seeing the difference.
“When the person is getting info from the doctor seeing the spot on TV or hearing them on the radio, that’s really what prompts the person to take the initiative and make the calls to the quit line,” said Tobacco Cessation Coordinator Chris Owens.
According to the New York Smokers Quit Line – which runs the ads – in 2009, more than 270,000 calls came in. The total was their highest ever after the commercials ran.
"Every time the quit line puts out a new batch of ads, whether it's the graphic ads or if it's the ads that are supposed to affect people on an emotional level, the number of calls to the quit line has a drastic spike and that's been shown over the course of the years,” Owens said.
But in the last couple of years, anti-smoking programs have seen less funding from the state and the fear is further cuts will reverse the state’s trend of declining smoking rates, which are at historic lows.
"My prediction is we're going to start to see the smoking rates creep back up to where they were years ago,” Owens said.
St. Josephs’ tells us their tobacco cessation program is not directly impacted by the proposed cuts.
There is a projected $2 billion state budget gap. The governor's office did not return our phone calls for comment.
