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CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) -The North Dakota House voted to dissolve BreatheND program on March 15th.

The following is a news released from the City-County Health District office in Valley City.

Spokeswoman Angie Martin said CCHD is disappointed in the legislature’s decision to completely dissolve BreatheND which was one of only two programs across the 50 states that provided a comprehensive tobacco prevention program.

Heather Schwehr, tobacco prevention coordinator at CCHD states, “Tobacco addiction is the number one preventable cause of death in North Dakota. Scientific evidence irrefutably establishes a direct correlation between tobacco use and the use of illicit drugs. At a time when there is increased attention and resources expended on the opioid addiction crisis in our state, elimination of BreatheND is counterintuitive.”

District 24 State Senator Larry Robinson was an invaluable proponent of maintaining tobacco prevention efforts at BreatheND. Robinson was in direct contact with CCHD Director Theresa Will as Senate Bill 2024 moved through the senate.

District 24 Representative Dwight Kiefert responded to the request of many of his constituents voting in favor of BreatheND.

District 24 Representative Daniel Johnston did not respond to CCHD correspondence and voted in favor of disbanding and defunding BreatheND.

The establishment of BreatheND, resulting from the passage of Measure 3 in 2008, intensified efforts to reduce the use of tobacco in North Dakota.

Sharon Buhr, chair of the CCHD health board states that “following the evidence-based guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs, BreatheND, local public health units, and additional partnerships across the state have been instrumental in reducing tobacco use rates. In the past seven years teen smoking rates have been cut nearly in half, from 22.4% to 11.7%.”  

CCHD Director Theresa Will states, “the impact of tobacco use across our nation is a significant public health concern. Tobacco prevention efforts will continue at CCHD and throughout the state under the direction of the ND Department of Health, although under a greatly reduced budget.”

CCHD can be a valuable resource for anyone seeking smoke-free and/or tobacco free policies, as well as, for those needing cessation tools. Further information is available by contacting CCHD at 845-8518.