Tobacco Documents Online

DRAFT Community Relations Kit (Pilot Study) PART VI KANSAS FACT SHEET Kansas is one of the less densely populated states. Some manu- facturing centers and a tremendous agriculture. One of the leading wheat states, 10.5 million acres devoted to this crop in 1958, plus much grain~ sorghum, corn, tremendous numbers of cattle, some hogs. It raises no reportable tobacco. Kansas, while having few large population centers, has a well- organized agriculture. All leading,farm organizations (Farm Bureau, Grange and Farmers Union) represented in substantial numbers. Farm Bureau here is the largest group. Of the farm groups, Farm Bureau is most conservative with some older members taking somewhat moralistic view of uses of tobacco, but will work hard in interest of nation's agriculture even in those areas not directly affecting their own state. Farmers Union is politically left-wing. Grange is somewhere on middle ground with~a leaning toward the conservative side. Tobacco interests in Kansas are not well organized. Kansas imposed a 3¢ levy on cigarettes in 1950, raised~it to 40 in~1957. State realized about 5 million dollars from cigarette tax in 1950, has seen the figure increase to nearly 8 million dollars in 1958, the increase due more to increased sales than to the increased tax rate. Legislature meets annually in January. Nineteen fifty-nine session saw only two bills of interest to tobacco industry introduced. Both of a technical nature (one would have earmarked certain~percentage of tobacco tax for special purposes). Both fail:ed of passage.* (more)

-2- C WCTU and American Temperance Society both have been actively anti- tobacco~jin I{ansas. WCTU recently sponsored "Why I Shouldn't Smoke" essay contest among school children. AZ5 has shown its anti-smoking propaganda movies to school and church groups. American Cancer Society activity would probably find fertile ground here. *Note: Kansas was one of 14 states that at one time prohibited cigarettes. Its law was enacted in 1909 and was not repealed until 1927 -- being the last state to repeal this measure.