> > Our (Ca.) cigarette tax went to an ad campaign that has > worked extremely well - > Check out: http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/casmoking
I am sure that it was as far as some people are concerned. They fail to address the black market they helped stimulate. There was a great article in the Oregonian at the beginning of the year that discussed the hopelessness of catching the cigarette bootleggers. The cost differential between a pack in Seattle, and one from an Indian reseveration less than 100 miles away are close to 60 cents - or $6.00 per carton. Aparently there are millions of dollars being spent in the communities around these reseverations and other state border towns - in some towns, as many as 20,000 packs per person are being sold in these small border towns. Of course, the townsfolk are not heavy smokers. For many years, and still today, organized crime makes a lot of money from illegal cigarette sales, which includes sophisticated tax stamp counterfeiting. The total number of enforcement officers in the state dedicated to policing illegal cigarettes sales in the state with the highest state tax (Washington)? 16. While I can see that there is a significant reduction in smoking recently, it cannot be attributed to an increase in taxes. While California has taken draconian measures to get people to stop smoking in public, they are headed toward regulation vs prevention. I see a lot of money being spend to show how evil you are if you smoke, or how the tobacco industry is trying to kill you, I do not see a lot of money being spend on helping people quit. > > From the article: > "All this hard-hitting ad copy came about because of > Proposition 99, passed by > California voters in 1988, despite a $22 million campaign by > the tobacco > industry to defeat it. The measure increased the tax on > cigarettes by 25 cents > per pack, raising $134 million annually, $45 million of which > goes toward the > media campaign (The state also nets $22 million a year from > the tobacco master > settlement to combat youth smoking.) > > Since Prop 99 was passed, California's anti-smoking > sentiments are even > stronger, garnering the state a reputation for having the > toughest anti-smoking > laws in the country. State law bans smoking in most indoor > workplaces, bars, and > restaurants. Local governments have passed ordinances that > restrict smoking in > public buildings, public transit, and parks as well as near > playgrounds. To > further discourage smoking, voters bumped up cigarette prices > by 50 cents per > pack in 1999." > > > > If there is anyone who still smokes - please contact me > offlist. The sooner > > you e-mail me, the sooner you will be able to quit (I know > you want to....). > > I'm an ex smoker. It took me ten years of quitting and > starting again > (sneaking) Wasn't it a relief to get caught! That behavior is so common. This only reinforces the desire to smoke. I did it countless times. but I finally kicked the nastiness some 10 years > ago. To my great > chagrin, both my kids picked up the habit. My daughter, 24 > next month has been > off for ~3 months now with help from a antidepressant > prescribed by her doctor. > My 21 year old son, despite attempting to quit several > times, is still hooked. I tend to believe that most smokers have an easier time quitting the longer they have been smoking. The zyban product works great, but it won't do it all. Good Luck to her. I would be happy to support her (or your son) offlist,online. Nerd From Hell > > -- > Doug > > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.zo.com/~brighto > > "Now people stand themselves next to the righteous > And they believe the things they say are true > They speak in terms of what divides us > To justify the violence they do" > > Jackson Browne, It Is One > >
