AP: Tobacco giants wage all-out fight against anti-smoking measures

[Eugene]

Posted on Fri, Oct. 13, 2006

Tobacco giants wage all-out fight against anti-smoking measures
DAVID CRARY
Associated Press

Spending at unprecedented levels, America's two largest tobacco companies
are waging all-out battles to defeat ballot measures in several states,
including California, that would sharply increase cigarette taxes or impose
broad bans on smoking in public places.

Philip Morris USA and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco have given more than $54 million
to the campaign opposing California's Proposition 86, which would quadruple
state cigarette taxes to the highest level in the nation and boost the average
price of a cigarette pack to $6.55. All their opponents combined have raised
less than $13 million.

The industry has contributed or pledged millions more to fight proposed tobacco
tax increases in Missouri and South Dakota, and to promote milder alternatives
to sweeping smoking bans on the ballots in Arizona and Ohio.

In each case, the industry-backed campaigns appear to be raising far more
money than the campaigns of anti-smoking groups, which have scored many
victories in recent years.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/northern_california/15752964.htm

Alternate AP headline: Tobacco Giants Fight Ballot Measures

[ThomCat]

1. Tobacco execs can go to hell.

x(

We should regulate the hell out of tobacco products. It's an adictive poison.

The only use that should not be regulated or restricted is the original ceremonial uses of Native Americans.

[gratuitous]

2. Gee, they're spending an awful lot of money

Seeing as how they're always on the airwaves, telling us how much they'd like it if young uns didn't start smoking and offering help to adults on how to quit, it seems to me that Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds would really be behind these anti-smoking measures, to help more people quit and to raise taxes on smokers to help pay for their treatment.

You don't suppose that their black little hearts aren't really into the anti-smoking message that they're putting out there, do you? What should we tell the children???