The California Cancer Research Act would do an awful lot of good for California’s children

The old adage is true – in ways most of us never think about. We all know that cigarettes cause cancer, heart disease, emphysema and a host of other diseases. They’re also the number one cause of preventable home fire deaths.

Today, the American Lung Association released the 2009 State of Tobacco Control Report that grades all 50 states and the District of Columbia on four key tobacco control areas:

1. Tobacco Prevention and Control Spending;
2. Smokefree Air;
3. Cigarette Tax;
4. Cessation Coverage. 

Current state cigarette tax: 87 Cents per pack (32nd among all states)
Smoking-caused costs in California:  $15.10 per pack
 
Annual healthcare expenditures in California directly caused by tobacco use:  $9.14 billion  
Smoking-caused state Medicaid program spending each year:  $2.90 billion
 
New Annual Revenue from Increasing the Cigarette Tax Rate by $1.00 Per Pack:  $575.2 million

Our goal is to save lives. Despite continuing advancements in medical treatment and prevention, cancer remains a leading cause of death in California, with more than 140,000 Californians diagnosed with cancer every year.

Armed with an army of the best lobbyists in the business and an unlimited political war chest, Big Tobacco has defeated 14 straight attempts to increase cigarette taxes in California.

Despite advancements in medical treatment and prevention, cancer remains a leading cause of death in California, responsible for nearly one in every four deaths each year.