Interesting bit from the Our Say campaign on US referendums

mkpdavies · 13-10-2006, 04:58 PM

Tobacco and smoking are among the hottest topics under consideration this year with 10 separate initiatives being voted on. In three US states, citizens have proposed measures that which would see public services benefit from smokers or tobacco companies. California will vote on introducing a $2.60 surtax on each pack of cigarettes with the funds raised going to hospitals while voters in South Dakota have the option of increasing tobacco tax with the revenue being spent on health services and education. In Florida, an initiative would require the state to use 'tobacco settlement' money for tobacco education. Under the 1998 tobacco settlement deal, tobacco companies compensate states for the extra costs smoking imposes on state health systems and there is much debate over how this money should be spent.

Quote:

Citizens in Colorado and Nevada have the choice of legalising possession of one ounce of marijuana while in South Dakota the drug may be legalised for medical use. The ballot in Nevada also has two initiatives restricting smoking in public - one covering all public places with children and the other all public places except bars and restaurants. In Arizona, voters will also decide on two initiatives on the subject - one to ban smoking in all public places and another that would exclude bars from the law.

In the run up to polling day, we will be looking at some of the US referendum debates in detail as well as providing an analysis of what lessons we can learn from the US model for Britain.

Best wishes - Saira Khan

Good use or bad use of referendums? Sounds like a lot of it is about wrestling of one group to impose it's ways on others to me.

Mmmmm

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