SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is rolling out its Snuff Tobacco Money Out of California Politics campaign for the 2018 election season. ACS CAN is once again challenging current officeholders and candidates for legislative and statewide offices to reject contributions from tobacco companies and their subsidiaries.
Whenever candidates and lawmakers accept tobacco industry money they send a strong message that they are okay with a business model that makes a profit from killing Californians. ACS CAN is dedicated to reducing tobacco’s damaging public health effect and shining a light on attempts by the tobacco industry to influence lawmakers.
So far, five candidates running for governor have signed the challenge to say no to tobacco money. They include Gavin Newsom, Delaine Eastin, John Chiang, Amanda Renteria and Nickolas Wildstar. To track other candidates for statewide office who have promised not to take tobacco contributions, go to: www.notobaccomoney.org.
The website also posts the names candidates who have taken tobacco money since 2014.Currently, there are 12 candidates running for the state senate and more than 30 candidates running for the state assembly this year who have taken tobacco contributions. ACS CAN also reports incumbent attorney general Xavier Becerra has accepted more than $12,000 in tobacco industry donations. Three candidates running for the California Board of Equalization have also taken tobacco company campaign contributions as well.
“Just as the tobacco companies spend outrageous sums of money to addict children and adults to their products, they also try to use their financial influence to addict elected officials to campaign contributions derived from tobacco money,” said ACS CAN Senior Government Relations Director Tim Gibbs. “ACS CAN is dedicated to reducing tobacco’s damaging effect on the health of Californians. Candidates and lawmakers up for reelection should be accountable to the public for health policy and reject tobacco industry contributions.”
California renewed its leadership role in tobacco control with historic passage of tobacco control legislation including raising the tobacco sales age to 21 and regulating e-cigarettes, as well as the overwhelming approval by voters of a $2 tobacco tax.
In 2016, Big Tobacco spent more than $70 million trying unsuccessfully to mislead voters into opposing California’s first significant tobacco tax increase in nearly 20 years. The public should demand policies that reduce the impact of public health in California because:
• Tobacco is the single largest preventable cause of death.
• 40,000 Californians die from smoking every year.
• The annual health care costs in California directly caused by smoking are $13.29 billion.
• Taxpayers pay $3.5 billion each year in the form of tobacco-related Medi-Cal costs alone.
• Smoking-caused productivity loss in California is $10.35 billion a year.
Beginning in July of 2014, in an effort to expose the influence of Big Tobacco at the Capitol, ACS CAN asked candidates to reject the deception, pain and suffering that funds campaign contributions from tobacco companies. Since then, ACS CAN has been tracking all campaign contributions from the tobacco companies or one of their subsidiaries to candidates for legislative and statewide offices—sharing the results on www.notobaccomoney.org.
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 Snuff Tobacco Money Out of California Politics campaign, sponsored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc.
1029 J Street, Suite 450, Sacramento, CA 95814
t) 916 448-0500 f) 916 447-6931
CONTACT:
Snuff Tobacco Money Out of California Politics campaign sponsored by
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
916-802-4033
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