The state of California might be implementing the so-called Proposition 56, which establishes the increase of cigarette taxes, including the electronic ones. If it passes, it will become the 5th state to do so, following Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota and North Carolina.
It is not the first time that California tries to do something like this. People voted against it on 2006 and then again on 2012. But this time, it seems that it could be more feasible than before. Also, it was the first state to ban smoking in bars.
The tobacco industry, of course, is not happy with this. The proposition will add $2 to the actual tax on cigarettes. They have already raised $56 million for it not to pass. But anti-smoking groups are not left behind. They have raised $20 million for their cause. Even though it is not as high as the previous number, it is greater than in the other propositions.
Electronic Cigarettes
E-cigarettes or electronic cigarettes were made to help kick out the habit of smoking. The person gets the feeling of the action but is not really consuming the nicotine the “real” one contains. However, ultimately there has been some controversy regarding this issue. People against smoking say that this product is actually creating the opposite of its objective. Instead of making them quit the habit, it is leading more people to it.
Selling the electronic cigarettes with pictures or images of Tinkerbell or another cartoon suggests that it is directed to a young public. It attracts children to enter this world that may later lead to real smoking.
Previous Propositions
The anti-tobacco veteran crusader -Stanton A. Glantz- from the University of California, San Diego said that the reason for the last proposals to implement cigarette taxes did not pass was that the campaigns were not focused on using this increase to improve hospitals and health maintenance.
The 2016 campaign is not very different from the others. It seems only to use the money from the taxes to avoid kids to enter the tobacco world. If it passes, it will be the ninth highest tax on cigarettes globally.
The result of this will entirely depend on how the campaign will be presented to Californian people, according to Glantz. If people see that the money will go into helping the medical services already existent, it is more possible that the “yes” for the proposition will win.
If the “yes” wins, California – being the biggest state in the country – might be a starting point for massive campaigns that could make other states follow their example, and eventually, stop the use of cigarettes. This would mean the fall of those companies, which is something that worries tobacco industries.
The decision to apply taxes on cigarettes and e-cigarettes will be taken on November.
Source: Digital Trends