SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, today announced an additional $2.5 million donation to help pass the June 5 ballot initiative that will save lives, invest in groundbreaking medical research and keep kids from smoking. ACS CAN and the American Cancer Society California Division have now contributed a combined total of nearly $7.25 million to the campaign, an amount that is still dwarfed by the $40 million and counting that Big Tobacco has poured into a campaign of lies and deception about Prop. 29. We can't come close to matching Big Tobacco's largesse, but we have the truth, and the voices of hundreds of thousands of Californians who have been touched by chronic diseases like cancer, on our side, said John R. Seffrin, PhD., CEO of ACS CAN and the American Cancer Society. We want to make sure that Californians see through the tobacco industry's smokescreen: Prop 29 will fund life-saving cancer research right here in California and it will save lives. Prop 29, an initiative on the June 5 primary ballot, will raise the cost of a pack of cigarettes by $1 and dedicate those new funds to lifesaving research on cancer and other tobacco-related diseases 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 one dollar a pack will save 104,000 lives and stop 228,000 kids from smoking. If you don't smoke, you don't pay. It's that simple. And this donation will be used to make sure Californians hear that loud and clear. said Seffrin. Yes on 29 saves lives, protects kids, boosts the state economy and invests in cancer research that will directly benefit Californians today and for generations to come. We are confident that voters will make the right choice on June 5. 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. For more information about Proposition 29 visit: www.Californiansforacure.com 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 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. and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Inc.
