Tobacco War Heats Up

After taking some time off, and emerging from the shadows cast by all of the attention on obesity, the tobacco companies are deploying the heavy artillery in states across the nation.

American tobacco giants, facing state ballot measures that would sharply increase excise taxes or expand smoking bans, are fighting back. They are spending tens of millions of dollars and, in some cases, pushing rival propositions that sound like tough restrictions but would actually ease antismoking laws already on the books. [Wall Street Journal, free feature].

Technorati Tags: Excise Tax, Public Policy, Tobacco