Hoping to build support for a package of tobacco-fighting bills in the legislature, the Save Lives California coalition has launched a digital ad campaign spotlighting the health hazards and health care costs associated with tobacco use.

The statewide ad campaign, which includes video spots on Facebook and Pandora, will run between August 19 and September 11. The coalition, which is composed of the California Medical Association and several other health advocacy organizations, hopes the ads will bolster support for a string of tobacco bills currently being mulled over in a legislative special session.

“Many Californians are not aware that our tobacco laws no longer lead the nation,” said Jim Knox, American Cancer Society, Cancer Action Network vice president of government relations in California. “Fortunately, there are solutions on the table in front of the Legislature that would save lives by preventing young people from picking up this deadly addiction.”

In one video spot, the coalition calls for legislators to raise the tobacco tax to $2 per pack, increase the smoking age to 21 and limit e-cigarettes.

A legislative committee recently passed a package of six tobacco-related bills, which includes measures to raise the tobacco purchasing age and place new regulations on e-cigarettes. Other bills in the package would allow counties to tax tobacco distributers and ensure that schools and workplaces are smoke-free, among other things.

Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in California. For more information, visit www.savelivescalifornia.com.