It’s easy to get overconfident in the wake of past success. And we’re not talking about Olympic figure skating.

Over the past couple of decades, this country and this state have witnessed a significant reduction in tobacco use, by both adults and kids.

Years of public education, tougher new laws on age limits and advertising to minors, the promotion of smoke-free zones, and higher taxes on tobacco products have combined with a generational shift in the public’s attitude toward the usage of tobacco products.

But as reported by Gazette public health reporter Chad Arnold last week, recent significant cuts by the federal government to anti-tobacco efforts have renewed concerns about a resurgence in smoking and other tobacco-related uses.

About 28,000 New Yorkers die from complications stemming from tobacco use each year, the article stated. If tobacco companies are given the opportunity to claw their way and rebuild some of what they’ve lost to years of anti-tobacco efforts, we will likely see an accompanying increase in associated respiratory diseases, heart disease and cancer.

Among the concerns raised in a report cited in Arnold’s article was New York’s rollback on funding for tobacco prevention and cessation efforts, and elimination of a very successful program that had former smokers describing their experiences.

New York is going to need a public health response similar to the way it’s been reacting to federal efforts to reduce confidence in vaccinations, particularly among children. Immediately in response to federal efforts to undermine confidence in vaccines, the nation has seen a spike in cases of measles, which had all but been eradicated.

This means increasing funding for anti-tobacco education that emphasizes science over politics, including greater reliance on the expertise and statistics from medical professionals and organizations like the American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association.

It might include the state investing in its own Tips from Former Smokers public service ad campaign using New Yorkers to discourage usage.

It might mean passing more legislation, such as stricter bans on flavored tobacco products that particularly lure children, and tougher crackdowns on retailers that violate laws prohibiting advertising and sale to minors. It might include boosting taxes even higher on tobacco products.

Government has no greater role than protecting the health and safety of its citizens.

New York already needed to do more to discourage tobacco use. In the wake of federal cutbacks, it now will have to do a lot more.

© The Leader Herald