Daily Doc: TI, Dec 10, 1992: TI removing the rights of Americans
Daily Doc: TI removing the rights of Americans
Title: COMMENTS FOR ANDREW TISCH TOBACCO INSTITUTE ANNUAL AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
TI, Dec 10, 1992
Bates #: BATES
September 18, 2000
In this document, Andrew Tisch brags about the Tobacco Institute's pervasive interference in the democratic process:
"In state and local affairs, we have, with a few significant exceptions, enjoyed a remarkably successful 1992. Of more than 1,000 anti-tobacco pieces of legislation, regulation or voter initiatives, just 65 were approved....Smoking bans and restrictions were proposed in 32 states and passed in just 9....Bans on sampling and promotional distribution of tobacco products were proposed in 23 states and were defeated in 22. Retail or vending sales restrictions were proposed in 31 states and defeated in 26....Legislation mandating "fire-safe" cigarettes was introduced in five states and defeated in all....Campaigns were mounted to qualify...tax proposals for ballots in Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska and Arkansas. Thanks in large measure to Institute efforts, none made it."All of the above occurred in just one year, at the huge effort and expense by the tobacco industry. Given this tremendous batting average of defeating laws, then, the success rate of tobacco control efforts at the local level could be considered relatively good:
"At the local level, we faced 484 anti-tobacco proposals, of which 234 have passed..."But obviously, the tobacco industry noted the relative success rate of tobacco control efforts at the local level, so their next step was to remove Americans' rights to pass local laws, as evidenced by this chilling passage:
"We know that the most effective way to address these local issues is to urge adoption of statewide laws that prohibit local action. To date, we have succeeded in doing just that in 8 states. We have targeted another 17 in 1993."(A past Daily Document revealed that by 1994 the tobacco industry had successfully passed such laws in fully 24 states.).
CITATION
Title: COMMENTS FOR ANDREW TISCH TOBACCO INSTITUTE ANNUAL AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
Type of Document: Speech/ presentation (confidential)
Author N/A
Recipient: N/A
Date: 19921210
Site: Tobacco Institute document site http://www.tobaccoinstitute.com/
Page Count 20
Bates No. TIMN0405163/5182
URL (viewed on TDO): http://my.tobaccodocuments.org/tdo/view.cfm?CitID=78415&GetListArrayIdx=49&ShowImages=yes
Litigation Usage: Minnesota Selected document Found on TDO Using Search Criteria: "Speech"
QUOTES
In state and local affairs, we have, with a few significant exceptions, enjoyed a remarkably successful 1992.
Of more than 1,000 anti-tobacco pieces of legislation, regulation or voter initiatives, just 65 were approved....
At the local level, we faced 484 anti-tobacco proposals, of which 234 have passed...
Cigarette excise tax increases were proposed in 36 state legislatures and the District of Columbia. They passed in just five--including D.C. -- and were defeated in 27.
Smoking bans and restrictions were proposed in 32 states and passed in just 9.
Bans on sampling and promotional distribution of tobacco products were proposed in 23 states and were defeated in 22. Retail or vending sales restrictions were proposed in 31 states and defeated in 26.
Legislation mandating "fire-safe" cigarettes was introduced in five states and defeated in all.
Our opponents also continue, with increasing frequency, to turn to the initiative process to raise cigarette excise taxes. And it is here that we suffered our most significant defeat of the year.
Last month Massachusetts voters approved by a margin of 54 percent to 46 percent a measure to increase the state cigarette excise tax by 25 cents a pack -- to 51 cents -- the highest state tax in the nation.
One of our top priority for 1993 will be to try to ensure that
The funds in Massachusetts are spent on real education concerns, and not anti-tobacco lobbying activities, and That more states don't jump on the bandwagon and wage successful tax increases through voter initiatives.
Two dozen states currently allow the initiative and referendum process. We have heard reports that efforts will be made to pass tax initiatives in each and every one of them by 1994.
The Institute has plans in place to meet these challenges. There was some good news on the initiative front as well. Campaigns were mounted to qualify similar tax proposals for ballots in Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska and Arkansas. Thanks in large measure to Institute efforts, none made it.
...Literally hundreds of localities can be expected to propose restrictions, many of them fueled by voluntary health organizations with federal "ASSIST" grant money. "ASSIST" is a program launched last year by the National Cancer Institute to inject millions of dollars into 17 states for the purpose of mounting education campaigns aimed at reducing smoking....
...We know that the most effective way to address these local issues is to urge adoption of statewide laws that prohibit local action. To date, we have succeeded in doing just that in 8 states. We have targeted another 17 in 1993.
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Anne Landman, Regional Program Coordinator
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
Grand Junction, CO
(970) 245-2120
afoxland@gj.net
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