 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Jennifer K. Ibrahim, PhD, Center for Tobacco Control Research & Education, University of California, San Francisco, 530 Parnassus Ave. Suite 366, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, 415-476-0813, ibrahim@itsa.ucsf.edu and Stanton A Glantz, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, Center for Tobacco Control Research & Education, 530 Parnassus Ave., Suite 366, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390.
Objective: To describe recent tobacco control efforts in California and explain current barriers.
Methods: Information on California’s tobacco control efforts was gathered through interviews with health advocates and members of Governor Davis’ administration and searches of tobacco industry documents and academic literature.
Results: Since 1996, rates of tobacco use in California plateaued at 17-18%. The economic burden of tobacco use in California has doubled from $7.6 billion in 1989 to $15.8 billion in 1999. In addition to continued cuts to its tobacco control budget by the Davis Administration, California recently securitized its share of the Master Settlement Agreement revenues, depleting a viable source of funds for tobacco control. The tobacco industry continues to influence policy makers through campaign contributions and lobbying. In an attempt to halt California’s media campaign, the tobacco industry bombarded health officials with requests for documentation on all advertisements; this was in response to the industry’s claim that the media campaign was biasing jury pools, thereby denying the right to a fair trial. Given this environment, health advocates have effectively worked to stop proposed legislation such as preemption of local laws, as well as to work toward the passage of effective tobacco control legislation, including crackdowns on tobacco smuggling and the sale of tobacco to minors.
Conclusion: Once the premier program in the country, California’s tobacco control efforts have been met with complacency by policymakers and harassment by the tobacco industry, despite continued fights by health advocates. Now in desperate financial times, the rejuvenation of California’s tobacco control program is uncertain.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Tobacco Control, Tobacco Industry
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.