LETTER: Yes on Prop 86

EDITOR: If there was a legal product on grocery shelves that
kills more than 400,000 Americans every year, most people would be
outraged. We should all be outraged that in California, 6,000 kids
try cigarettes every month, and most become addicts.
I’m 56 and am on oxygen 24 hours a day with emphysema. There are
many of us with lung disease from smoking who wish we never
smoked.
Our community must pass Prop 86, which will add a tax of 13
cents per cigarette. This tax will prevent 700,000 kids in
California from becoming smokers and suffering lung disease as we
have.
The tobacco industry has raised $40 million to defeat this
initiative with a misleading campaign. They will say, do and spend
anything to protect their profits.
The tobacco industry lied to Congress and the American public
for decades. Do they really think we are that stupid?
Prop 86 is supported by the American Lung Association, American
Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. Who do you
trust?
Please vote Yes on Prop 86. Visit www.yesprop86.com. When you
can’t breathe, nothing else matters.
– Linda Regan, American Lung Association, Volunteer