While we’re taxing cigarette smoke, let’s tax wood smoke too

With regard to Sept. 12’s editorial from the Sacramento Bee on Proposition 56 (“Californians should vote ‘yes’ on 56 for public health”): A tax increase on a substance (tobacco) that causes everyone health and economic grief makes perfect sense. But why do we continue to turn a blind eye to the other source of smoke (firewood) which is more prevalent? In San Luis Obispo County, and elsewhere, one is more likely to run into a blast of lingering wood smoke than the more quickly dispersed cigarette smoke. Tax equally and without hypocrisy, or don’t tax at all.

This story was originally published September 29, 2016 at 5:57 AM with the headline "While we’re taxing cigarette smoke, let’s tax wood smoke too."