AUG/SEPT 2004
Volume 10 - No. 3
Newsletter Staff
Karen Saules
Editor
ksaules@emich.edu
Minden Shadle
Assistant Editor
Ryan Sexton
Assistant Editor
Publication & Communications
Ed Lichtenstein
Chair
ed@ori.org
Electronic Communications
Richard Brown
Chair
richard_brown@brown.edu
SRNT Newsletter
August/September 2004, Volume 10, Number 3
From the Editor
Dear SRNT'ers,
I hope you are enjoying the summer months as much as I am. While catching up on all the projects I've neglected during the busy academic year, I am also keeping an eye on developments with our Governor's proposal to raise our cigarette taxes from the current $1.25/pack up to $2.00/pack, which would be the nation's second-highest rate. While there is occasional mention of the public health benefits associated with such tax increases, most of the talk has been about simply balancing the budget. In May, our State House reversed itself and narrowly passed the bill, which then moved onto our Republican-controlled Senate. A plug into my Senator was greeted by a polite reply that we must first make sure we are actually collecting all the taxes we are supposed to under current law, before we go ahead and increase taxes. I'm still sort of puzzled by the implications of that statement. Further inspection of the Senate record from June 17 reveals my Senator to harbor sentiments such as "Our State has been greatly enriched over the years by the precious plant called tobacco," followed by "tounge in cheek" encouragement that smokers replicate the Boston Tea Party by pitching tobacco overboard in protest of this tax proposal. Sigh. Amazingly, I just learned that this somehow passed through our Senate, and our Governor has signed the bill. Next, we move on to the restaurant smoking ban that is currently under debate here in Michigan. Never a dull moment.
I hope you enjoy reading this issue of the SRNT newsletter. In addition to our regular pieces, we have some new contributions, including a provocative point-counterpoint piece from John Hughes and Lois Biener regarding public health messages. Also, note my aspirations for a new feature, in which I hope to highlight the exciting new activities of a particular program each month. This month, the University of Wisconsin TTURC is featured. Please let me know if you'd like to suggest a program that could be highlighted in future issues, or - better yet - if you might like to contribute a piece about the activities of your group.
Please join me in sending out a hearty "Congratulations!" to David Balfour who has won the Special Election and will immediately assume the role of President-Elect of SRNT. Thanks, David, for being so willing to serve SRNT in this capacity.
Also, send your thanks and well wishes out to Beth Klipping as she departs from the SRNT Executive Director position to return to school. Thanks, Beth, for all your hard work, good cheer, and dedication to the SRNT mission! Beth will be replaced by Bruce Wheeler, former Director of Grants and Communication for the National Credit Union Foundation. We are very fortunate to have recruited Bruce, as you will note from the details provided in the special notice on this transition, elsewhere in the newsletter. Welcome, Bruce!
Please do not hesitate to send me your suggestions, contributions, comments, letters, and feedback on both content and format. You are welcome contact me at ksaules@emich.edu, or by more-traditional methods, if you have any suggestions or would like to contribute to future issues.
Warm regards,
SRNT Newsletter is published quarterly by the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (www.srnt.org). The newsletter is distributed electronically to members of SRNT. If you would like to subscribe or unsubscribe to the electronic mailing list, send e-mail to Bruce Wheeler at bwheeler@reesgroupinc.com .
Copyright 2004 SRNT: Permission to copy without fee all or part of any material without a copyright notice is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage. To copy material with a copyright notice requires specific permission; direct inquiries or requests to the copyright holder as indicated on the article.
Editorial correspondence: Karen K. Saules, Ph.D. Eastern Michigan University, Psychology Clinic, 611 W. Cross Street, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 USA, (734) 487-4988, fax (734) 487-4989, ksaules@emich.edu. Articles, letters, reviews, and proposals for columns are welcome.
Central office: 7600 Terrace Avenue, Suite 203, Middleton, WI 53562 USA, 608-836-3787, fax 608-831-5485, srnt@reesgroupinc.com.