The alchemists of long ago had two goals in mind: turn lead into gold and create a panacea, a cure-all with boundless potential. The whole lead into gold thing seems to have fallen through, but I think we've found our panacea in tobacco.
Tobacco can do wonderful things that no one dreamt of a few decades ago. Who would have imagined tobacco would provide millions of dollars for health and research? It even furnished wonderful people like Betty Bullock and diligent heroin addict William Ohlemeyer with millions of dollars, simply for staying strong and smoking in spite of repeated warnings.
Stepping up to the reality plate for a moment, let me take a swing at this contemporary phenomenon. The folks behind Proposition 303 want to raise the taxes on cigarettes again. The taxes already amount to $1.61 on every pack. The extra money goes to swell programs, such as health care for the poor and medical research. Oh yeah, and it will decrease the number of smokers, saving lives and stuff.
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, a large supporter of 303, says that since free health care eligibility opened up to over 200,000 extra people (thanks to Proposition 204's earlier passage), they need that additional 150 million a year or they're sunk.
There's just one problem.
Since Proposition 200 eighty-sixed smoking in Tempe establishments, our friend tobacco is on the decline. With it banned from Mesa, as well, it might not be long before Dr. Mom tells smokers they can't light up anywhere.
The figures for the hopeful revenue 303 would bring in are based on cigarettes sold before they were banned, but now there won't be enough smokers to foot the bill. Sweet irony.
Research at our brainy Goldwater Institute predicts that this coming year will bear the same fate as every year since 1998: the steady decline of revenue from all tobacco taxes. The Arizona Indian Business Association isn't so inspired by 303 either, assuring voters that if it passes, jobs and income resting on the tribe-owned tobacco shops will surely suffer.
However, the Center for Disease Control complains that tobacco use costs Arizonans a billion dollars in medical damages, but the New England Journal of Medicine retorts by assuring that the fat taxes already on cigarettes more than covers that sum. Truth be told, people far smarter than most of the powers behind this ordeal have realized that there is no cure-all.
Leaning so heavily on smokers will invariably lead some to quit smoking. Yet, when we have organizations like AHCCCS (though putting forth some good efforts) counting on our smokers to keep them in business, something is wrong.
After all, this money is not going to stop smokers. Last year the state legislature sent directed $38 million from the tobacco education programs to treatment costs, not prevention.
So, I wonder why there is no growing tax on other legal drugs like alcohol. Surely alcohol programs and medical treatment for alcohol-related incidents dwarfs the $1 billion claims for ailing smokers.
Ah, but we've seen what happens when laws restrict our favorite vice during the days of prohibition. The industry goes underground and the profits grease the palms of several thousand guys named after cities. People could not be forced to forego their coveted fancies then, nor will they now.
If 303 passes, I look forward to our cure-all slipping into the hands of a slightly more honest racket. Can you say "fuggedaboudit"?
Darren Todd is an English literature senior. Reach him at lawrence.todd@asu.edu.
