Next week, California voters will decide whether to approve a tobacco tax hike but a new report shows the state has used only a small portion of the billions of dollars in tobacco money it already takes in to prevent kids from smoking or to help smokers quit.
The study was done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to The Sacramento Bee, the report finds that between 1998 and 2010 just six percent of the money collected from a massive lawsuit settlement and cigarette taxes went to tobacco prevention and education programs.
Officials say that's well below federal spending guidelines for effectively curbing tobacco use.
The report has provided fuel for both sides of the debate over a June 5 ballot measure that would more than double the state tax on a pack of cigarettes.
