The measure would boost the price of cigarettes by a dollar a
pack, raising hundreds of millions of dollars a year for cancer
research and prevention work.
Authors of Prop 29 say they hope that will drive down the use
of cigarettes.
Jim Knox is from the American Cancer Society.
KNOX: "We know that increasing the tax is the most effective way to deter kids from smoking this tax increase will prevent 220,000 kids from ever starting to smoke, it will prompt 100,000 adults currently smoking to quit, and it will save 100,000 lives."
He says Prop 29 would place California's tobacco tax in the middle of the pack compared with other states.
KNOX: "We have not raised the tax in a long time, we're one of only three states that hasn't raised our tax this century."
Knox says the tobacco industry is influential at the state Capitol and that it's fueling the no-on- Prop 29 campaign.
KNOX: "We know that increasing the tax is the most effective way to deter kids from smoking this tax increase will prevent 220,000 kids from ever starting to smoke, it will prompt 100,000 adults currently smoking to quit, and it will save 100,000 lives."
He says Prop 29 would place California's tobacco tax in the middle of the pack compared with other states.
KNOX: "We have not raised the tax in a long time, we're one of only three states that hasn't raised our tax this century."
Knox says the tobacco industry is influential at the state Capitol and that it's fueling the no-on- Prop 29 campaign.
But the measure's opposition is not limited to tobacco
companies.
BURGAT: "We see it as the wrong policy and the wrong time."
Marc Burgat is with the California Chamber of Commerce.
BURGAT: "We see it as the wrong policy and the wrong time."
Marc Burgat is with the California Chamber of Commerce.
He says the measure doesn't do anything to address the state's
budget problems.
BURGAT: "If you're going to raise taxes on consumers in California, then we need to make sure that we dedicate those revenues to the most pressing problems that the state has, especially things like education, health care, courts, those sorts of things."
Burgat says cancer research is important, but he's against taxing a single industry.
BURGAT: "If you're going to raise taxes on consumers in California, then we need to make sure that we dedicate those revenues to the most pressing problems that the state has, especially things like education, health care, courts, those sorts of things."
Burgat says cancer research is important, but he's against taxing a single industry.
He's also concerned about oversight of the new revenues.
Proponents of Prop 29 have raised just short of 5 million dollars.
Proponents of Prop 29 have raised just short of 5 million dollars.
The "no" campaign has brought in a little less than 40
million.
