State Panel Says Raise Tobacco Tax To Combat Infant Mortality

A panel studying Ohio's infant mortality problem is recommending state lawmakers increase the tobacco tax and raise the legal age of possessing tobacco to 21. Those area among dozens of recommendations included in a report by the Ohio Commission on Infant Mortality. Other recommendations include banning the sale of crib bumpers, more frequent data sharing among agencies and improved cultural competency among health care providers. Ohio's infant mortality rate has been among the worst in the nation. The rate for 2014 was 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births.