Don’t Snuff Out That Ad

PROPOSITION 99 WAS A VITAL PART OF CALIFORNIA’S ATtempt to discourage smoking. Passed by health-conscious voters in 1988, the measure hiked cigarette taxes 25 cents a pack. A share of those revenues was earmarked for an antitobacco advertising campaign. The resulting ads won international acclaim and were credited with a 17% decline in the number of smokers in the state. But in January Governor Pete Wilson suspended the $16 million-dollar advertising campaign, citing a need for funds for other health projects. Last week a California state judge ordered Wilson to restore the campaign, saying that Proposition 99 “was not discretionary.” Said Superior Court Judge James Ford: “Why don’t they take the money out of something that hasn’t demonstrated its effectiveness?”