California Government and Citizen Participation/Case Study: Proposition 99 - Tobacco 1988

How to operate in an adverse legislative environment? Go to the cities and counties.

There is a reading at

Glantz was a consistent "maximalist"opponent of various shenanigans which the tobacco companies tried to and often did put over. They enlisted even the California Medical Association into various sell-out schemes designed to funnel money out of tobacco control and into the payment of medical bills. The American Lung Association emerged as the heroic principled opposition as the CMA crumbled. The Cancer and Heart Association were much less upright compared to ALA.

Questions for discussion:

1. What caused ALA to stand up when ACA and AHA folded? 2. What can be done to promote more ALA style heroism? 3. What were the major compromises that even ALA had to go along with? 4. Were the trade offs worthwhile?