Reiner created a California state-wide program for early childhood development that is funded by an exuberant tax on tobacco products, on top of already existing high taxes. Voters narrowly passed a measure last year, known as Prop 10, to pay for Reiner's pet project. The controversial election campaign became a battle between a misleading anti-tobacco group and the already politically incorrect tobacco industry. Smoking consumers watched their cigaretes jump 50 cents a pack,while cigars and pipe tobacco nearly doubled in price.
Reiner, who now heads up the program, is presently defending it in the courts from suit filed on the basis that Prop 10 blatantly violates the State Constitution. Many retail business now face financial ruin because of their inability to compete with out-of-state mail order of tobacco products. Smokers, thwarting the tax, have created a sizable deficit in state tobacco tax revenue that would have been generated if Reiner had left well enough alone.
"There's nothing wrong with a childhood development program," said Chuck Beeson, executive director of Pipe Able. "Just not at the unfair expense to the poor, senior citizens and disabled Californians. Pipe Able members in five counties are coming to the aid of their fellow pipe smokers in California to boycott Reiner's movie, The Story of Us, as well as the new sitcom, Love and Money . We have invited all smoker's rights organizations, all smokers, seniors and disabled men and woman to join us. We are requesting all to refrain from spending any money on Reiner related movie tickets or videos. We've been encouraged by the response."
Pipe Able promotes the moderate practice of pipe smoking for disabled men to improve their quality of life through relaxation, one of the greatest benefits derived from smoking a pipe. Several studies suggest that men smoking four or fewer pipes per day actually may live two years longer than non-smokers. This is believed to be from stress reduction. Pipe smokers, as well as cigar smokers, do not inhale their smoke.
Additional information regarding the boycott may be obtained at the Pipe Able web site, www.pipeable.org.