‘No’ to Tobacco’s Trojan Horse : Proposition 188 is a cynical attempt to roll back restrictions on smoking

Californians by now have become accustomed to rejecting devious ballot initiatives. But seldom have voters in this state been confronted with a measure as misleading and mendacious as Proposition 188. Billed as a means to “protect” nonsmokers and keep cigarettes away from children, it is actually a Trojan Horse carrying the rapacious interests of the tobacco industry.

Let’s be clear what this measure does: it repeals the strong restrictions on smoking passed by the Legislature this year and signed by Gov. Pete Wilson; annuls all local ordinances on smoking and replaces them with new more lenient rules written by--guess who--the Philip Morris tobacco company.

As of Oct. 7, five tobacco companies, led by Philip Morris, had already contributed more than $5 million to the campaign and voters state-wide can expect to be deluged by glossy mailers touting how Proposition 188 would give Californians “tough” or “statewide” smoking regulations. Do not be misled.

Faced with all this tobacco money, the forces against 188 will not be able to mount much counteradvertising. Fortunately the state Department of Health Services has stepped up its hard-hitting anti-smoking campaign on radio and television in recent weeks.

But several television stations have cravenly knuckled under to threats of libel action by the chairman of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and dropped one of the spots.

We have said this before, but it bears repeating because of the confusion sown by the industry: A “yes” vote is a vote against smoking restrictions. To retain the progressive California standards on smoking that are being emulated nationally, vote no.