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California Officials Confer to Help Other States Develop Tobacco Tax Initiatives
Conference on state tobacco taxes for key health officials
In 1993, the American Lung Association of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, Sacramento, convened a conference to disseminate lessons learned by experienced tobacco control officials in California.
The passage of California's Proposition 99 in 1988 significantly raised that state's tobacco tax and, for the first time, tied revenues to tobacco control education. It soon became a model for the rest of the country, with Massachusetts passing its own initiative, Question One, in November 1992.
Before long, California officials were deluged with requests for professional advice and technical assistance from other states on how to successfully institute a tobacco tax initiative.
Key Results
- The "Seize the Initiative" conference, was held in Sacramento, Calif., from May 2 through May 4, 1993. Nearly 150 participants from 24 states attended the conference. In a series of small workshops, participants learned how California had:
- Written a winning tobacco tax initiative.
- Built an effective coalition.
- Run a winning initiative campaign.
- Anticipated and combated the tobacco industry's tactics during the campaign and after the initiative had passed.
- Following the conference project staff contacted the conferees and offered assistance, while their progress was recorded in two newsletters.
Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) supported the project with a grant of $60,000 between April 1993 and July 1994.