More U.S. states and communities are banning indoor smoking and raising tobacco taxes, but it's no thanks to the efforts of tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds, which is spending $40 million trying to block such laws, the Associated Press reported July 27.

Reynolds has used the money to set up groups like Arizona's Non-Smoker Protection Committee and Smokeless Ohio, which despite their names are opponents of proposed smokefree ballot initiatives. The company also has funneled cash into California and Missouri to fight ballot initiatives to raise cigarette taxes.

"This is the first time that we have been involved in ballot initiatives in quite some time," said Carole Crosslin, a company spokeswoman. "It is a significant amount of money, but it's very expensive to do these because it's like a political campaign."

In Ohio, Reynolds has joined with the bar and restaurant industry to amend the state constitution and void any local antismoking laws that are stronger than the state law. "The tobacco industry has fought us every step of the way. They have taken out more than 30 lawsuits against us," said Shelly Kiser of SmokeFreeOhio, which supports a separate ballot item to ban most indoor smoking. "It's been horrible."

Arizona's Non-Smoker Protection Committee has succeeded in putting on the ballot an item that would overturn local smoking bans in cities like Tempe and Prescott; this item also will compete with a "smokefree" ballot question backed by health groups.

In California, Reynolds is attacking the proposed Proposition 86 cigarette tax hike by saying the proceeds won't all go towards antismoking programs. Philip Morris USA also is fighting the proposed tax hike. "They are pretty consistent about battling and spending a lot of money on television in California because it's such a large market for them," said Cyndy Lewis, western states director for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. "They've got to keep people smoking."