Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/609333
ByJoshRichman jrichman @bayareanewsgroup.com Three-and-a-half years after California voters re- jected a $1-per-pack in- crease in the state's ciga- rette tax, Big Tobacco and health advocates are pre- paring to duke it out once again over a proposed $2-per-pack hike likely to appear on next November's ballot. But having been out- spent almost 4-to-1 by to- bacco companies to lose by just four-tenths of a per- centage point — the nar- rowest defeat of any state- wide measure in Califor- nia's history — backers of the tax hike now believe they have the upper hand. Even though a group of moderate Democrats, many of whom had ac- cepted Big Tobacco's money, helped snuff out a $2-per-pack tax in the Legislature this year, polls show the public favors the proposal by more than 2-1. A powerful union has al- ready pumped $3 million into the campaign, and bil- lionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer has kicked in another million. And because the mea- sure will appear on a pres- idential ballot rather than a primary ballot like last time, the bigger electorate will be more left-leaning. With all of that, pro- ponents believe they're poised to put another nail in the coffin of Big Tobacco in the Golden State — not only by hiking taxes on regular cigarettes but also by imposing for the first time taxes on electronic cigarettes. "Is it a last nail? Boy, we hope so," said La- phonza Butler, California president of the Service Employees International Union. "We see it as an opportunity to do what's right for California." Unlike 2012's measure, which would have dedi- cated 75 percent of its rev- enue to cancer research, the measure proposed for next year would put 82 per- cent of its revenue toward the state's often-struggling health care programs, in- cluding Medi-Cal. SEIU represents many public health care workers. "There's no reason that we should not try to reduce smoking rates and add rev- enue to long-term health costs — and do that by tax- ing one of the most expen- sive health habits that con- tribute to those costs," But- ler said. Steyer, a former hedge fund mogul who has brought his fortune to bear on environmental politics, told this newspa- per that his mother "was a multi-pack-a-day smoker who died of lung cancer" at age 78 in 2002. "This is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the state of California ... more deaths than from traffic accidents, murder and il- legal drugs combined," he said. "This is as straight- forward a need to stand up for our kids and pro- tect them as anything I can think of." Opponents put up al- most $47 million to defeat the 2012 measure, includ- ing $27.5 million from Al- tria, parent company of Philip Morris USA and other tobacco concerns, and $11.2 million from R.J. Reynolds. "We are reviewing the ballot initiative and con- sidering our options," Al- tria spokesman David Sut- ton said. "We are opposed to large, excessive ciga- rette tax increases like this one proposed in Cal- ifornia." Altria's website says such taxes are regressive, affecting poorer tobacco users more than richer ones; help create a black market for cigarettes; hurt legitimate businesses; and do little to help state bud- gets. R.J. Reynolds didn't answer calls and emails seeking comment. Though often seen as tough on smokers, Califor- nia's current 87-cent-per- pack cigarette tax ranks it 35th among the states. And a Field Poll conducted last summer found voters back a $2-per-pack hike in the cigarette tax 67 per- cent to 30 percent. But Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo said that's more of a "concept test," surveyed long before the measure's language is fi- nalized and the campaign begins. "I expect it to be a closer election than what the first poll indicated." Generally, most mea- sures that start out ahead in the polls are ultimately approved, and most that start out behind fail, he said. But DiCamillo noted that 2006's Proposition 86 — which would've raised cigarette taxes by $2.60 per pack — started out leading by 31 percentage points, yet failed by 3.4 points after tobacco com- panies waged a $67 million campaign against it. California Attorney General Kamala Harris is expected to issue the new initiative's official title and summary by Dec. 15. Then proponents will be- gin gathering the 365,880 voter signatures they need to qualify it for next No- vember's ballot. The initiative also would direct the state Board of Equalization to set an "equivalent tax" on electronic cigarettes. Most e-cigs contain nicotine, which is derived from to- bacco and is highly addic- tive, proponents claim, and many are being marketed in candy flavors that ap- peal to minors. Use among middle- and high-school students tripled from 2013 to 2014, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Cynthia Cabrera, president of the Smoke- Free Alternatives Trade Association, wrote to Har- ris this month to complain that the proposed initia- tive's language "is mislead- ing to voters by falsely im- plying that the harmful health effects of tobacco are similar to those of va- por products" when stud- ies have shown that's not true. ELECTION State tobacco tax supporters, foes prepare for battle By Lauran Neergaard The Associated Press WASHINGTON Designer ba- bies or an end to intractable illnesses: A revolutionary technology is letting scien- tists learn to rewrite the ge- netic code, aiming to alter DNA in ways that, among other things, could erase disease-causing genes. How far should these experiments try to go — fix only the sick, or make changes that future gener- ations could inherit? It's all experimental so far, but the promise for new treatments is huge. The ethical quandary: Should it also be attempted in human embryos, altering a gene in not just one person but his or her descendants? Al- ready, China has reported the first laboratory experi- ment with embryos to start learning how. Whatisgeneediting While scientists have long been able to find de- fective genes, fixing them has been so cumbersome that it's slowed develop- ment of genetic therapies. With gene editing, scien- tists home in on a piece of DNA and use molecular tools that act as scissors to snip that spot — deleting a defective gene, repairing it or replacing it. There are some older methods but a new tool called CRISPR-Cas9 has been adopted by labora- tories worldwide because it's faster, cheaper, simple enough to use with mini- mal training, and allows al- tering of multiple genes si- multaneously. What it might treat Much like a bone mar- row transplant, research- ers hope to use CRISPR for diseases like sickle cell, cor- recting the faulty gene in someone's own blood-pro- ducing cells rather than im- planting donated ones. Similarly, doctors in Britain recently treated a 1-year-old with leukemia using donated immune cells that had been exper- imentally altered with an older editing method to tar- get her cancer. A California company is testing a non- CRISPR way to make HIV patients' immune cells bet- ter resist the virus. Ethics controversy Altering genes in sperm, eggs or embryos can spread those changes to future gen- erations, so-called germline engineering that might one day stop parents from pass- ing inherited diseases to their children. Chinese scientists re- ported the first-known at- tempt to edit human em- bryos last spring, working with leftovers from fertil- ity clinics that never could have developed into fetuses. They aimed to correct a deadly inherited gene, but uncovered problems that will require more research. Germline engineering "has been viewed almost universally as a line that should not be crossed," Na- tional Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins said at the time. Is it legal Where you live deter- mines if, or what kind of, research can be performed on embryos. Some coun- tries, especially in Europe, ban germline research. Oth- ers, such as China, have guidelines described as un- enforceable. Britain allows basic lab research only. In the U.S., the NIH won't fund research involving germline editing but pri- vate funding is allowed. Beyond medicine Human gene editing aside, there are environ- mental concerns, too. Ex- periments are under way to force genetic changes to spread rapidly through populations of animals and plants — changes that could wipe out invasive species or disease-carrying insects. A California team reported a first step last week, hatch- ing malaria-resistant mos- quitoes that could easily spread their new protective gene to their offspring. Online: Human gene-editing ini- tiative: nationalacademies. org/gene-editing/Gene- Edit-Summit/index.htm DESIGNER BABIES Summit opens debate on gene editing By Matthew McQuaid Special to Digital First Media We spend one third of our lives sleeping, but in our fast paced, technology focused society we pay lit- tle attention. Sleep is pre- cious to me, and it should be for you because it has health benefits. Current research is clear that we all need quality sleep to improve our health and performance. In our high-tech society which functions 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the need for adequate sleep is underappreciated. However, the science of sleep is showing that poor sleep habits can lead to di- abetes, obesity, hyperten- sion, heart disease, depres- sion and anxiety. Recently I traveled to the East Coast crossing time zones. I flew on a red eye flight from San Fran- cisco to New Jersey. The experience was unpleas- ant. With very little sleep on the airplane and the clocks advancing three hours, I was exhausted. My trip was for a weekend conference, one in which I fell asleep several times. The event made me realize that sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. The scientific research regarding sleep is compel- ling. Dr. James B. Maas is a sleep scientist from Cor- nell University who has a book titled, "Power Sleep." He cites the research that proves correct sleep hab- its can improve the qual- ity of our lives. In his book he writes, "Sleep plays a major role in preparing the body and brain for an alert, productive, psycho- logically and physiologi- cally healthy tomorrow." On the benefits to our daily life Maas writes, "With improved sleep hab- its people become better spouses, better parents, and better in their careers. They become more energetic, healthier, more successful, and happier with their lives. That's life as it should be." In the book he lists what he calls the four golden rules of sleep: 1 Get an adequate amount of sleep every night. To fulfill this golden rule, Maas recommends to obtain at least 60 to 90 minutes more sleep then you are presently getting. 2 Establish a regular sleep schedule. Try to go to bed at the same time every night, and wake up at the same time every morning, including week- ends. 3 Get continuous sleep. Maas writes that for sleep to be rejuvenating you should get your re- quired amount of sleep in one continuous block. Dis- ruptive sleep is not restor- ative and will cause you to be drowsy during the day. 4 Make up for lost sleep. Sleep is like a bank ac- count, and you can run a deficit. The good news is you can make that up to be a credit. If you are defi- cient, pay back your sleep debt in a timely fashion. Make up for any lost sleep as soon as possible. On strategies for get- ting a better night's rest, Dr. Maas has written many. The most obvious is to have the right bed. If your bed is more than 10 years old, consider an upgrade. If you spend one third of your life sleeping, you should be on the finest bed. Your health and well-being are worth it. Other strategies for a good night's sleep include exercise, proper diet, re- duced caffeine, avoiding alcohol and tobacco and keeping out unruly pets from your bedroom. Other suggestions are ones from your grandmother. For in- stance, take a warm bath, and read a good book. In the famous Span- ish novel, "Don Quixote," there is a quotation on sleep which reads, "Bless- ings on him that first in- vented sleep! It covers a man's thoughts and all, like a cloak; it is meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the cold, and cold for the hot. It is the current coin that pur- chases cheaply all the pleasures of the world." Matthew McQuaid, DPM is a board certified foot surgeon practicing in Lakeport. 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