Hands down one of my most favorite public service and health initiatives is the state campaign Tobacco Free California. Here is one of their latest video clips about everyday people and their impressions and ideas regarding secondhand smoke.
In November 1988, California voters approved the Tobacco Tax and Health Protection Act through the passage of Proposition 99, which added a 25-cent tax to each pack of cigarettes. A portion of the tax funds the California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP), the longest-running comprehensive tobacco control program in the nation.
CTCP’s mission is to improve the health of all Californians by reducing illness and premature death from the use of tobacco products. This is accomplished by educating and motivating the public to:
- Decrease exposure to the harmful effects of secondhand smoke and toxic cigarette waste in the environment.
- Understand the dangerous influence of the tobacco industry.
- Take action and get involved in the fight against tobacco in their community.
- Break their addiction to tobacco.
Since the program began in 1989, California has led the way in forever changing how the public sees tobacco use and tobacco industry marketing. If you’d like to know more about Tobacco Free California, you can make the jump below: