SAN FRANCISCO — Fabled as a mecca for the health-conscious and fitness-obsessed, California is also one of only a few states that hasn’t hiked cigarette taxes in the last decade — and the tobacco industry wants to keep it that way.

Cycling star Lance Armstrong has championed a $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products to fund cancer research in a proposal that will go before voters Tuesday.

Additional Photos

Cycling legend and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong attends a rally at a news conference at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles in favor of Proposition 29, a measure on the June 2012 California primary election ballot that would add a $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes.
Cycling legend and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong attends a rally at a news conference at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles in favor of Proposition 29, a measure on the June 2012 California primary election ballot that would add a $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes. AP

But tobacco companies and their allies have amassed nearly $50 million to fund a media blitz to snuff out Proposition 29.

With less than a week to go before the California primary, the measure’s passage is uncertain.

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

Related Stories
Latest Articles