Let’s Talk Straight About How Tobacco Industry Influences Hawaii’s  Government

April 10, 2006

Why is it that given all we know about the killing impact of smoking, Hawaii earns a “D” grade in the American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2005 report for spending too little on anti-smoking programs?   Or that it takes editorials in both major newspapers and pleas by noted figures (Larry Price in Midweek, Jimmy Borges in the Advertiser) to get our legislators to pass Senate Bill 3262 (the “Healthy Air and Workplace Act”)?

We believe that Hawaii’s less-than-adequate regulations and programs are connected to the fact that Hawaii’s elected officials have received direct “campaign donations” of $454, 394 from tobacco companies and their lobbyists in the last five years. Also, Big Tobacco has spent $103,780 to pay lobbyists in 2003, 2004, and 2005 to walk the halls of the Capitol to pitch their product.   It’s time for some truth-talk here. How can anyone deny that the $558,174 spent by the Tobacco Industry over the last 5 years has not influenced Hawaii’s legislators as they consider ways to cut-down smoking?

 

Controlling regulations and taxes which might reduce their profits is why Big Tobacco has given at least $20,371,398 to elected officials in all the 50 states from 2000 to 2005  (according to data complied by The Institute on Money in State Politics   www.followthemoney.org) 

 

A Solution.  Is there a way to reduce the influence of gigantic rich corporations like Phillip Morris and RJ Reynolds on legislation?  Well, Maine, which a decade ago had the nation's highest teen smoking rate, has become the first state to win perfect scores (A) from the American Lung Association for its tobacco-fighting efforts.  “Maine has the distinguished honor to become the first state to score an A in each of the four categories: Tobacco Prevention Funding, Smokefree Air, Cigarette Tax and Youth Access.”