Chapter 32 Political issues

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Political issues: State and local governments

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A Business Week article "Big Tobacco's Hidden War: Hardball politics at the local

level" (November 10, 1997, pp. 139-140) described how "industry sponsored groups

flood state health departments with Freedom of Information requests, then use the

information to file suits alleging misuse of taxpayer dollars. In Colorado, this tactic

helped kill a proposed tobacco tax increase."

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Tobacco control programs have often been subject to harassment by the tobacco

industry. "Using state and federal public records laws, tobacco industry lawyers,

consultants, and front groups have been making massive requests for documents

from state and local health departments. In Colorado, requests for documents from the

state ASSIST program totaled over 13,000 pages-but the lawyers who requested

them only picked up 6,000; the cost in staff time to respond to the request was over

$50,000. These requests are often followed by charges of improper use of public

funds."

ANR Update, Winter 1997

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The Tobacco Institute surreptitiously financed an expensive advertising campaign to

defeat a ballot proposition in Oregon to increase the tobacco tax from 38 to 68 cents

a pack. The advertisements were placed under the name of a so-called citizens

group, the Fairness Matters to Oregonians Committee, but it was actually organized

and 100% financed by the Tobacco Institute. The Tobacco Institute intended to spend

up to $7 million, while pro-tax health groups planned to spend about half a million

dollars. (New York Times, October 19, 1996) The proposition was passed by a 56%

to 44% margin, despite the $2.6 million that the tobacco industry spent to try to defeat

it. (ANR Update, Winter 1996).

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The Massachusetts budget for public health tobacco initiatives is $36 million per year

for the state's 6 million people, including $13 million for a media campaign.

10th National Conference on Nicotine Dependence, Minneapolis, 1997 (Greg

Connolly)

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Monday, July 24, 2000

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