Where Has All the Tobacco Money Gone?

ABC NEWS INVESTIGATION ^ | Nov. 4, 20 | BRIAN ROSS

[SheLion]

Money from the landmark settlement with Big Tobacco helped pay for a a golf course sprinkler system in New York State.  (ABC News)

Money From Settlement With Big Tobacco Goes to Fund Auto Speedway, Golf Course Sprinklers

Nov. 4, 2005 —  Less than three percent of the $250 billion settlement between the tobacco companies and the fifty states has been used to fund anti-smoking campaigns.

When the tobacco industry settled out of court with the 50 states seven years ago this month, state officials said the money would be used to prevent kids from starting to smoke. Anti-Smoking Campaigns Forgotten

Yet, in Virginia, a large portion of the tobacco money has been used to improve an auto speedway while in New York, it was invested in a golf course sprinkler system.

New tobacco warehouses were built with the money in North Carolina, and in Lincoln, Neb., officials used the money to enforce the pooper-scooper law. In Kentucky, cattle farmers received the money through farm subsidies. "Everything except getting our kids not to smoke," said Joseph Califano, former secretary of health, education, and welfare during the late 1970s. "And it's a tragedy." Despite what officials — including Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal — promised in 1998, 97 percent of the funds won by the states from the tobacco companies went for anything but anti-smoking campaigns.

"We need to use the tools and resources that this agreement will give us to enter a new phase in this campaign," Blumenthal said in 1998.

Since then, his state has ranked the sixth lowest in spending on anti-smoking campaigns.

"I am embarrassed and outraged that our state has been virtually dead last in using the money as it was designed to do," said Blumenthal.

In Buffalo, N.Y., county officials chose to take less than half what they were due so that they could receive all of the money up front. According to County Executive Joe Giambra, most of that money has since gone to fund civic improvements.

"Not a penny," Giambra said of the tobacco money. "We have not spent any money specifically from this settlement agreement."

Some States Have Limited Success

The few states that have used the money for aggressive anti-smoking campaigns have seen successful results.

Florida created anti-smoking commercials, including one in which smoking wins a mock award for causing the most deaths in a year.

"They showed a 38 percent drop in teenage smoking, the most dramatic drop in the country," said former health secretary Califano.

After only a few years, however, the Florida legislature drastically cut the money for the campaign from $70 million a year to $1 million a year.

"We've lost over these years hundreds of thousands of kids who have become addicted to cigarettes, who we know we could have kept off if the governments of the states had invested that money in tough prevention programs," said Califano.

[SheLion]

Partnership For a Tobacco Free Maine spending $10,000 plus $4500 at Wiscasset Race Track,

Sunday 26th of May 2002. 

 

Kick Butts Racing is a statewide program that sponsors drivers at each of Maine's five short tracks as well as backing Maine native Tracy Gordon on the Busch North Series. Also wearing the Kick Butts Racing colors are Ryan Shepard at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Jimmy Kaler at Wiscasset Speedway, Mike Thomas at Speedway 95 in Hermon and Unity Raceway driver Jeff Burgess.

5 Race Teams sponsored with our cigarette taxes........

 

Governor King wants to cut Pet Programs. Why doesn't he start with the PTFM?

 

This is worse then I thought.

 

 

Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine not only sponsoring the race car, they are sponsoring Speedway 96! click here

 

(Rep.Clough (Republican) and Judy Peavy both think this is just fine!)

 

Augusta, Maine – Speedway 95 was well represented at the 2002 Northeast Motorsports Expo at the Augusta Civic Center this past weekend with six exhibitors displaying their cars for the racing season.

(Goes on to list the drivers, then this:
Also, representing the Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine racing team was Mike Thomas of Etna.

One gentleman said to me: "I see this as a flagrant, in-your-face insult to all people that pay taxes on tobacco."     click here

You can send email protesting this:  marybeth.t.welton@state.me.us

Maine has its priorities crossed. Back in January, health advocates urged lawmakers to spare successful programs in anti-smoking funds.

Maine receives annually $55 million from the Tobacco Settlement, to which the smokers in Maine are paying for. Although Maine had a choice how to spend the money, it was intended for education and to pay for any sick smokers on welfare, should there be any.

House Speaker Michael Saxl said that given the $248 million budget shortfall facing the state, there must be room for some cuts in the health programs.

Attorney General Rowe said that Maine is one of the few state’s that has committed "most" of the money to health programs. I say "Show me the programs!" Most of this money is being spent on pet programs.

For instance: The Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine is sponsoring Speedway 95, and Wiscasset Race Track. Memorial Day, the "prestigious" Partnership for a Tobacco Free Maine is awarding the winner of the Coastal 200- $10,000. With $4500 going to the runner-up.

I wonder how many people this money could have helped that can’t afford health insurance. I wonder how many people this would have helped in nursing homes who have no insurance. I wonder how this money could have helped with children’s nutrition, prescription drugs, child care and substance abuse.

Governor King states Maine Health Care is failing. The money PTFM is wasting at a racetrack could have been spent in a kinder more gentler way.

William Corr, executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free kids says Big Tobacco is targeting our kids, while Corr is targeting the wallets of all who pay cigarette taxes in Maine.

This is a blatant slap in the face to all that pay cigarette taxes.

 

Coastal 200 at Wiscasset Sunday worth $10,000

26 May 2002

Our cigarette tax dollars at work..............

 

 

The tobacco money was also given to a little old lady in Ellsworth to plant a flower garden in the center of town!!  Talk about a waste of MONEY!!

 

 

[malia]

I thought it went to one of hillary's brothers!!!

[SheLion]

[zarf]

This is the biggest non-news story of the year.

This was a lawyers grab bag. Nothing more, nothing less.

[clee1]

As was predicted here on FR, the money extorted from the smoking public has been wasted.

Big freakin' surprise!

[weegee]

IN Texas the money went to the top Democrat contributors in the state. All lawyers. All "consultants" on this case because obviously the government staff were ill informed.

[Wolfhound777]

Up in smoke.

[weegee]

Considering the taxes collected on cigarettes were already spent on non-tobacco programs, this should not have been a surprise.

[SheLion]

As was predicted here on FR, the money extorted from the smoking public has been wasted.

It's good to remind people that the MSA is NOT going for HEALTH care!

[JudgemAll]

This suit was the bigger lie exploiting smokers and the industry. It's disgusting. The money should be returned, lawyers and officials jailed for perjury and extortion, period.

I do not know how the feds let this confederate gang get away with it like this either. The reference of a whole industry to a state's predatory moves is a terrible precedent not seen since pre-civil war slavery and state rights rebellion. This country is going to be teared appart again if this anarchy is not stopped.

It's easy for the IRS to go after the little guy, but when it comes to getting illegal taxes perceived by the state at its own indsutrial base expense, it does nothing.

Cowards.

[singfreedom]

I thought most of the money went to the attorneys on the case anyway. I never figured they would use the money for what they claimed. Parents are the best defense against teen smoking anyway.

Typical Clintonian morals/politics, make a big show of things, then just do what you want to anyway.

[clee1]

Patience FRiend.

Either the Messiah will come again soon, or CW2 will. Either way, all of this bullsqueeze is nearing its end.

[SheLion]

I don't know why we have little red x's. I HATE those!!!!!!!!!

[SheLion]

IN Texas the money went to the top Democrat contributors in the state. All lawyers. All "consultants" on this case because obviously the government staff were ill informed.

And New York spent $175,000 of that money to build a fricken GOLF course!!!!

IN Texas the money went to the top Democrat contributors in the state. All lawyers. All "consultants" on this case because obviously the government staff were ill informed.

And New York spent $175,000 of that money to build a fricken GOLF course!!!!

[KingKongCobra]

Wanna guess where the big oil tax that congress is talking about will go?

[weegee]

IN Texas over a billion went to a handful of lawyers who couldn't have spent that much time on the actual case. When push came to shove they actually kicked out a couple Rat lawyers who weren't connected well enough.

[weegee]

That's what I don't understand. Profits ARE taxed. Salaries ARE taxed. Higher profits already mean higher tax revenues.

Raising taxes does not discourage seeking profit. But it does trouble the consumer who must meet the added costs.

How much is Hollywood making? Billions off of films that legally (and constitutionally) should have lapsed into the public domain decades ago?

Methinks there are special interests at play here.

[Fenris6]

"This was a lawyers grab bag. Nothing more, nothing less."

Trial Lawyers grab bag, who turned around and donated to the Dem party. Kinda corrupt: "You let us shake down the Tobacco firms and we'll cut you in for 10%"

[SheLion]

Parents are the best defense against teen smoking anyway.

Where was TEENS brought up?  This is about the Tobacco Settlement Money and how is is wasted.  It's the parents responsibility to educated their kids about smoking, like you said!

[taxesareforever]

Talk about a waste of MONEY!!

To a liberal it is never a waste of money to take from the rich and give it to whomever they want. If anyone thought for a minute that tobacco settlements would go toward smoking prevention they must have received an A in Stupidity 101.