Sacramento -- The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, today announced a $1 million contribution to Yes on Proposition 29, the California-based initiative on the June 5 ballot that raises the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1 to fund cancer research. ACS CAN and the American Cancer Society California Division have now contributed a combined total of nearly $2.25 million to the campaign. Yes on Proposition 29 is critical to saving lives from deadly tobacco products, keeping kids from starting to smoke and generating more than $700 million every year to support lifesaving research and tobacco prevention in California, said John R. Seffrin, PhD., CEO of ACS CAN and the American Cancer Society. We want to help California voters see through the smokescreens of Big Tobacco's manipulative marketing tactics, and vote Yes on Prop. 29 on June 5. ACS CAN had previously pledged to match every $1 million raised by the Yes on Prop. 29 campaign with a $100,000 donation -- up to an additional $1 million. But after Big Tobacco recently unveiled a $20 million advertising blitz in opposition to Prop 29, the nation's leading cancer advocacy organization decided to immediately release the remaining funds in an effort to combat Big Tobacco's deceptive ads. The Lance Armstrong Foundation has already given the campaign $1.5 million and its founder and chairman praised ACS CAN for their donation. "The cancer community is united and unwavering in its support of this life-saving initiative," said Lance Armstrong, cycling champion and cancer survivor. "Prop 29 will keep kids from smoking, raise funds for cancer research and save lives. Getting the word out to Californians to vote yes on Prop 29 is job number one now and I'm grateful to ACS CAN and all of our campaign partners for their solidarity in service of this great cause." We're thrilled to have the unbridled support of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said Chris Lehman, the Campaign Manager for Yes on Prop 29. Big Tobacco is already filling up California airwaves with deceptive and misleading campaign ads designed to distort the truth. We will use these dollars immediately to get our message of health and life out to our primary voters. We certainly can't match Big Tobacco's largesse, but we're confident voters will see through Big Tobacco's smokescreen and vote to save lives and keep kids from starting to smoke. Prop. 29, an initiative on California's June 5 primary ballot, will raise the cost of a pack of cigarettes by $1 and dedicate those new funds to cancer research and smoking cessation efforts. Written by the American Cancer Society in California, the American Heart Association, Western States Affiliate and the American Lung Association in California, Prop 29 is supported by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and doctors, scientists and researchers throughout California. Research shows that raising the cost of cigarettes by $1 a pack will save 104,000 lives and stop 228,000 kids from smoking. ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.fightcancer.org. ### Paid for by Yes on 29, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Inc. and American Cancer Society Inc. Ballot Committee. Major funding by American Cancer Society Inc. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Nicole Bender or Steven Weiss American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Phone: 202-661-5773 or 202-661-5711 Email: [email protected] or [email protected]. #cancer #tobacco #tobaccotax #Prop29 #lungcancer #healthcare #research #California