Proposition 302, which passed easily on Arizona’s ballot in November, will increase the cigarette tax by 60 cents per pack, as well as the taxes on other tobacco products. Some attribute the ballot’s success to Cathy Danielson, 40, of Lake Havasu City, who had her larynx removed because of smoking-related cancer and appeared in commercials in support of the proposal. Danielson said she was thrilled the measure passed. “I started smoking at 13,” she said, “and smoked up to the doors of the hospital.”
So Danielson, who was not deterred from smoking by laryngeal cancer, believes raising the price of a pack of cigarettes by 60% will convince others to stop smoking – and the majority of Arizona voters go along with this logic.
Truly voting is a magnificent opportunity to satisfy the universal desire to wield power irresponsibly.
