During the past two weeks our hypothetical Chief Executives (you) had to make a decision concerning our policy on tobacco regulation. (Click here to view the full Executive Decision memo for this scenario, written by Jack Beatty.) The options presented to the President by his or her aides were the following:

Option A: Regulate Nicotine as a Drug, Then Ban It.

Option B: The Philip Morris Plan.

Option C: Leave Smokers Alone.

The Results

Option C (Leave Smokers Alone), which stated that the government should refrain from regulating tobacco, won by a narrow margin with 35% of the vote. Option A (Regulate Nicotine as a Drug, Then Ban It) was next with 33%. Close behind, with 32%, was Option B (The Philip Morris Plan), which advocated trying to limit youth smoking by cooperating with, not penalizing, the cigarette companies.

Those who selected Option C felt that the government should not be involved -- either through regulation or through tobacco subsidies -- in the country's smoking habit. Many agreed that banning cigarettes would fail just as Prohibition did and suggested that pressure from nonsmokers would be more effective in limiting smoking. Some supporters of Option A wished that there had been another plan: one that included FDA regulation of nicotine as a drug but did not go so far as to call for a ban. Those who agreed with the premise behind Option A emphasized that the government should have a role in tobacco regulation, but many felt that banning tobacco was not politically feasible. Others suggested that tobacco companies should pay for the medical costs of all those who get sick from tobacco-related illnesses. Of those who supported Option B, many expressed reservations about whether Philip Morris would really support legislation to limit youths' exposure to tobacco, but agreed that targeting kids is the best way to approach the tobacco issue. Many people suggested that a campaign of anti-smoking public-service announcements should accompany the Philip Morris plan.

Party Lines. Of the respondents, 38% were Democrats, 17% were Republicans, and 26% were Independents. Of those remaining, 11% selected Other, 7% were unregistered, and 1% did not indicate their affiliation. Democrats leaned toward strict regulation of tobacco, while Republicans tended to support the Philip Morris plan or no regulation at all. The tables below show the total breakdown of how everyone voted.

Option	Democrats	Republicans	Independents	Other	Unregistered
Option A	18%	3%	8%	1%	2%
Option B	12%	6%	8%	3%	2%
Option C	9%	8%	11%	6%	2%

The Significance of the Issue. Many respondents felt that the government should have little or no involvement in regulating tobacco, and consequently that this is not an important issue for the Chief Executive to consider.

Issue	THE Most Significant Issue	Very Important	Fairly Important	Not Very Important	Completely Irrelevant
Tobacco Regulation	0%	10%	28%	43%	15%
Trade Policy	6%	35%	45%	13%	0%
Campaign-Finance Reform	9%	41%	27%	20%	4%
Health-Care Reform	4%	39%	41%	13%	2%
Entitlement Reform	12%	56%	27%	4%	2%
Immigration Reform	2%	32%	50%	15%	1%

Age. Of respondents who indicated their age, 6% were under 18, 34% were 18-34, 24% were 35-44, 15% were 45-54, and 19% were over 55. Two percent declined to give their age. Those between 35-54 were more supportive of no government legislation, while those 18-34 leaned towards strict regulation. We had more respondents under eighteen than usual, perhaps because this issue affects that age group more directly than others we've presented.

Age Range	Option A	Option B	Option C
Under 18	<1%	4%	1%
18-34	14%	12%	8%
35-44	6%	8%	11%
45-54	4%	4%	7%
Over 55	8%	3%	8%

Race and Gender. While there were too few non-white respondents to present a good statistical analysis, African-Americans were more supportive of Option A than any other group. Significantly more women responded to this scenario (23%) than to many others we've presented. Women tended to support the middle-of-the-road option, while men were more supportive of Options A and C.

Gender	Option A	Option B	Option C
Female	5%	11%	7%
Male	27%	20%	28%