California’s Proposition 29: A Successful Public Health Funding Story

Currently, a pack of cigarettes is taxed at 87 cents. This money has been used to sponsor research. In 2012-13, a total of $870 million in revenue was raised from cigarette and tobacco products. The money collected from the tax also helps fund children’s health insurance program that subsidizes health insurance for children from low-income families. 

Two organizations in California have greatly benefitted: 

• The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) seeks to fund and research the nervous system and minimize the burden of disease. In 2013, about $285 million out of a total of $1.6 billion was allocated to California-based organizations for research. 90% of the total amount is used for research, leading to new treatment strategies and medicines aimed at improving patient outcomes.
• National Institute of Aging (NIA): NIA is mandated to scientifically understand aging. Through the Neuroscience Division, NIA investigates how aging affects behavior and the CNS. Since tobacco use and smoking is a behavior that also affects the CNS, NIA is supported by a budget of $1.1 billion annually, 40% of which goes to the neuroscience division. In 2013, California-based institutes gained over $170 million from NIA to support research. 

Why California’s Proposition 29 Failed

Eventually, the proposition was shot down at the vote despite its good proposals. The majority of the voters thought the additional taxes would be punitive and too heavy to bear. Opponents did not even consider the positive research breakthroughs that have since been enabled by the revenues collected. 

Opponents opine that the additional costs are added taxes on the taxpayer, when in the real sense that is not the case. Moreover, they suggested the government was in a financial crisis and that was not an area of priority for government to spend heavily on. They also claimed the lack of oversight from external agencies, suggesting a lack of accountability. 

The narrow margin in the votes meant that Prop 29 was defeated and the proposed changes were not effected. It also meant that tobacco control in California was dealt a huge blow. 

Conclusion

California’s Proposition 29 sought to introduce new taxes on tobacco products and cigarettes to help fund public health initiatives that could result in reduced smoking rates and related diseases. 

Even without the increased taxes, the fund from the taxes has helped conduct research on cancer through NINDS and also on aging and behavior via NIS. The program has supported children from low-income families through school and engaged in public education awareness to help people know the health effects of smoking and tobacco use. 

The fund has also eased people going to the hospital through insurance plans. Had the proposition succeeded, a lot of revenue would have been collected and used to run more campaigns, conduct research, create employment opportunities, and improve the living standards of people in California. 

Overall, proposition 29 enhanced public health funding in California. With a reduction in the number of teen smokers, the initiative succeeded in raising more money that was put into other research activities to enhance healthcare and public health education. 

Whether the proposition will come back for a vote in the future remains likely.