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Derailing corporate tobacco interests: State initiative policymaking from 1988 to 2006

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Abstract

Since the passage of the landmark anti-tobacco Proposition 99 in California in 1988–2006, there have been 29 state tobacco control-oriented direct democracy measures approved 79 per cent of the time in 13 out of 27 states that currently allow some form of initiative. Passage and support for tobacco control initiatives have also solidly occurred regardless of whether the voter's ideology in a state was leaning conservative or liberal. The tobacco industry has long recognized this significant direct democracy threat to their market and profits. Nevertheless, the tobacco industry's effort to restrict and limit the initiative process through constitutional and statutory amendments has had little success. Public health advocates should continue to use initiatives and voter-certified or popular referenda in a careful and politically astute manner and also join in efforts to expand initiatives and popular referendum to states that currently prohibit such measures.

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  1. Department of Political Science, The University of Oklahoma, 455 West Lindsey, Norman, 73019, Oklahoma, USA

    Michael Givel

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Givel, M. Derailing corporate tobacco interests: State initiative policymaking from 1988 to 2006. Soc Theory Health 7, 339–353 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/sth.2009.16

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