Stanton Glantz, PhD's blog

Does the LA Times feel bad about supporting the tobacco industry?

Submitted by sglantz on Fri, 2012-06-08 18:43

I have been giving the outcome of the Prop 29 election a lot of thought and talking to others involved in and watching the campaign. 

There is a broad consensus that the single largest boost that Philip Morris and Reynolds American got for their campaign against Prop 29 was the fact that the LA Times urged a "no" vote.  Read more »

Prop 29 outcome still up in the air

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-06-06 14:11

Right now (as of 4:43 am June 7), the Secretary of State shows the Philip Morris and Reynolds leading on Prop 29, with 50.7% no vs. 49.2% yes on Prop 29.  The spread is very small, only 63,176 votes out of a total of 3.85 million votes counted so far.

There are a large number of uncounted absentee ballots -- I have seen estimates ranging up to 1 million -- which means that the Secretary of State has declared the race a "close contest," meaning that the result will not be certified until all the ballots are counted. Read more »

Great investigative piece on NBC11 on undisclosed historical and financial links between big tobacco and groups opposing Prop29

Submitted by sglantz on Sat, 2012-06-02 08:26

Check it out here.

This is my favorite part of their story:

'If you have any doubt that these type of relationships are part of a larger, deliberate public strategy, look no further than a 1998 proposal from a Sacramento political consulting group to The Tobacco Institute during the debate over another cigarette tax referendum. Read more »

Field Poll shows Prop 29 still ahead; every vote will count

Submitted by sglantz on Fri, 2012-06-01 08:13

The respected nonpartisan Field Poll shows Proposition 29 winning 50% to 42%.  Read more »

LA Times-USC poll shows Prop 29 winning

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-05-30 16:58

From the LA Times:

A proposed $1-per-pack tax increase on cigarettes remains highly popular among California voters, but they are split over whether to change the state’s 22-year-old term limits law, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.

The two measures will appear on Tuesday's statewide primary ballot. Read more »

New study of tobacco control policy making in Costa Rica

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-05-30 15:13

We just published “Tobacco Control Legislation in Costa Rica (1971-2012): After 40 Years of Tobacco Industry Dominance, Tobacco Control Advocacy Succeeds.”  The full report is available at free at http://escholarship.org/uc/item/8029s7xw

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Read more »

What CDC throught about Sac Bee story the other day on $$$ not being spent on tobacco control in California

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-05-30 14:57

I asked the CDC what they thought of the story in the Sacramento Bee on the fact that California is not spending much on tobacco control. 

Here is the email I got back.  (Miller is the No on 29 person that the Bee quoted.) Read more »

No threshold for the adverse effects of secondhand smoke on blood vessels

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-05-30 14:51

We have shown that 30 minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke at levels about like experienced in a bar damage and compromise the functioning of arteries in a way that increases the likelihood of a heart attack. Read more »

The theme of World No Tobacco Day (May 31) is "Tobacco Industry Interference"

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-05-30 07:17

The No on 29 campaign is a great example of the kind of "tobacco industry interference" that the WHO is highlighting in its materials for World No Tobacco Day. Read more »

Prop 29 is "future proofed" against raids inspired by Big Tobacco

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-05-30 06:58

Philip Morris and Reynolds American's "third party" spokespeople are talking out of both sides of their mouths on whether or not Prop 29 is "inflexible."  Read more »

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