Double-barreled assault

When voters in Wichita Falls went to the polls in early May, they thought they were casting ballots to determine if smoking in public places would be regulated in their community. In reality, their decision likely determined the fate of antismoking efforts throughout Texas. In the 74th Texas Legislature, the tobacco industry launched a two-pronged attack it hoped would deal a devastating blow to local communities' attempts to regulate public smoking. The first prong was a legislative attack on the ability of cities to pass antismoking regulations. The second was an attempt to actually roll back a tough local antismoking ordinance at the polls, thereby demonstrating lack of public support for such ordinances.