Big Cigarette Tax Pushed by Lance Armstrong

Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong wants the tax on cigarettes in California raised from 87 cents per pack, to $1.87. Other tobacco products would also be taxed with an equally large increase. Mr. Armstrong is a co-founder of the California Cancer Research Act, proposed legislation estimated to generate over $800 million annually for cancer research, prevention, treament and education. Cancer survivor Don Perata is the bill’s sponsor. Perata was a California state legislator for four years ending in 2008, and currently is a lobbyist for a California prison guard union.

Mr. Armstrong said, “The scale of this disease and the devastation that it takes on, not even a daily or weekly basis, but on an hourly basis, is immense. I think the people working in the labs and working in the hospitals are certainly worthy of an initiative like this.” (Source: LA Times)

Tobacco corporation Philip Morris is already beginning to fight against the proposed tax increase by donating $128,000 in February alone for a counter campaign. Organizers for the Cancer Research Act succeeded in collecting over 400,000 signatures to get the bill on a statewide ballot for next February. However, governor Jerry Brown wants to have a special election this June, and voting for the CCRA could take place then. If Governor Brown is successful in getting two-thirds of the California legislature to vote for the June special election, Californians will get their say on CCRA in a little over three months.

Armstrong founded a cancer non-profit years ago called the Livestrong Foundation, which has raised $325 million so far. Those funds have gone to support cancer research and survivor support programs. Armstrong has retired from cycling, and is focusing his attention on cancer awareness and fundraising for research. On the legislative front he is also pushing for a ban on indoor smoking in workplaces for his home state of Texas.

Image Credit: Vaikunda Raja

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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KS G.

5:18AM PDT on Jul 6, 2011

Thanks for the article.

send a green star

Patrick W.

4:15AM PDT on Apr 15, 2011

right on

Charles W.

2:06PM PDT on Apr 3, 2011

Support Herman Cain for US president!

Walter G.

2:08PM PDT on Mar 30, 2011

Good deal! the smuggling will increase 1K-fold! Increasing tax as a prohibitive measure is 'Politics for dummies,' What is my solution? Gee, I haven't bothered to think about it, considering the price I'm paying in taxes, supposedly to hire people to do that. If you run a private enterprise and have people abusing your rules and stealing from you, you fire them. We have had the same situation in our government for ages, decades, even centuries. What to do? vote all of them you can out. the newly cooled seats in Congress, un-rented office spaces and lack of legally hijacking Air force Aircraft to go flying for personal gain may give the new lawmakers pause to think about the outcome. We may as well try flushing out congress, nothing else has worked. When might have been the last time your elected official did something for you?

Lynn C.

5:57PM PDT on Mar 22, 2011

Right. So now someone else is going to save you...seems to me like every time somebody gets on a its'-for-your-own-good trip, we lose another freedom.
Just leave us the hell alone and let us make our own informed choices and stay out of our damn pockets~!

Lin M.

9:20AM PDT on Mar 19, 2011

Bill F. I don't think most people are addicted to "gas" it is a needed way to go to work, groceryshop, church etc. Most people who are regular folk are not driving to far if they don't have to.. And I think Lance is full of it too. We can't just let people run over us because we are smokers. Pay for us to stop. Send us to a rehab to stop. Help us. Stop acting like we are killing everyone who has cancer which is not true. Many have cancer who never smoke. And I think second hand smoke is bull.

Karen S.

10:05PM PST on Mar 6, 2011

Tax on cigarettes couldn't be too high, in my opinion. Having worked one-on-one with patients dying of the diseases smoking causes, please allow me to share a couple things:

First, dying from a smoking -related disease is a long hard fight that cannot be won. No matter what the current ads say. When you see a person fighting for each and every breath, observe what lung cancer, heart disease and its many attendant problems do to the body, it is impossible to think anyone in today's world would start. But many nurses smoke! I always wondered why more heart and lung Doctors didn't commit suicide!

Second, it is a terrible addition. I have read that for some, quitting smoking rivals only quitting narcotics. It is NOT cool, it is a stinking, filthy, killer breath producing, foul "habit". Smokers are taking in 287 known cancinogenic substances, all of which the tobacco industry is very well aware of.

As long as the industry is in bed with certain politicians, it will continue to kill milllions of people every year! Those with scuples, principles and morals should research the lengths the industry goes to to market their killer products in other countries. YUK! Very heartbreaking.

William F.

7:08PM PST on Mar 6, 2011

As a strong supporter of Pigovian taxes (basically, taxes on things society wants less of), I love taxes like this. Now, if we could just muster the will to do something about the average family's 5 gallon/day addiction to gasoline.

Bill K.

6:01PM PST on Mar 6, 2011

many people admit to quitting smoking when the price gets too high so this might help reduce smoking numbers which is a good thing for smokers and non smokers

Julianna D.

11:04PM PST on Mar 5, 2011

Thanks!