2 West Hollywood Council Members Urged Voters to Vote Yes on Proposition 56

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA -- Members of the West Hollywood City Council along with community advocates urged voters to vote yes on Proposition 56 at a community meeting Thursday.

Council Members John Duran and Lindsey Horvath joined Tony Hoang, the deputy director of Equality California and Dave Garcia, director of policy and community building for the Los Angeles LGBT Center at the West Hollywood Library to talk about the impact of tobacco on the LGBTQ community.

They urged voters to vote yes on Prop. 56, which would increase the cigarette tax by $2 per pack, with an equivalent increase on other tobacco products including e-cigarettes. Revenue would go primarily to health care for low-income residents.

Proponents, however, say the law would make smokers pay their fair share of tobacco-related health care costs, while opponents say too much of the money will go to insurance companies and special interests.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 30,000 LGBTQ Americans die from tobacco-related diseases annually. More specifically, LGBTQ Californians have some of the highest rates of smoking in the state, compared to their heterosexual counterparts.

Courtesy photo