Anyway anything that reduces Jesse Helms' power base in tobacco capital, should be a good thing.
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Lung cancer falls as California's tobacco laws bite
Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles Saturday December 9, 2000
California, the state with perhaps the toughest anti-smoking laws in the world, is celebrating a huge drop in the number of lung cancer deaths and planning fresh measures to curb the use of tobacco.
A new study shows that California's lung cancer rate fell by over 16% between 1988 and 1997, compared with a drop of 2.7% in the rest of the US. California recorded 72 cases per 100,000 in 1988 and 60 per 100,000 by 1997.
The drop coincides with the state passing Proposition 99 in 1988, when it raised tobacco taxes by 25 cents (17 pence) a pack and spent 20% of the revenue on an aggressive educational programme, and steadily banning smoking in public places such as the workplace, bars and restaurants.
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The number of smokers in California has fallen by 40% in the past decade, with those still smoking cutting their consumption by almost half. While 25% of adults smoke nationally, only 18% of Californians smoke.