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Massachusetts

Statewide Tobacco 21 Grade

A

View Full Report Card

Report Card
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Enforcement

Although Massachusetts' Statewide Tobacco Retail License fee does not fund enforcement, most municipalities dedicate a portion of their licese fee to enforcement with fees ranging from $25-$600. Enforcement is done by local authorities, Boards of Health, or the Attorney General's office. Compliance checks are done once a year per retailer with penalty placed on the retailer and a penalty schedule that include risk of license suspension and revocation.

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Tobacco Retail License

Comprehensive statewide Tobacco Retail License covering all tobacco products
Multiple Tobacco Retail Licenses that cover all tobacco products
Tobacco Retail License only covers cigarettes and NOT e-cigarettes
No statewide Tobacco Retail License
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Preemption

No preemption
Preempted from raising the sales age
Preempted from creating a Tobacco Retail License

All public health is local. Often Big Tobacco works to add preemption to statewide tobacco control bills so cities and counties are unable to enact laws that better protect the public.
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High School Vaping Rate

32.2%
of High School Seniors have vaped in the past 30 days
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Tobacco Prevention vs. Industry Marketing

Massachusetts spends $5.6M in tobacco prevention efforts and the tobacco industry spends $102M in marketing. For every $1 spent in prevention, Big Tobacco spends $18 in marketing.

$1
$18
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Tax per pack of cigarettes

$3.51

E-cigarette tax

$2.15

State Rank

5

Higher tobacco taxes are associated with decreases in tobacco use and increases in cessation and lower youth initiation.
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Annual State Healthcare Costs due to Tobacco Use

$4.08 billion

References

Information updated Nov 2020. Please contact Amanda.Turner@tobacco21.org if you have suggested updates.

Massachusetts In The News

Take Action To Protect Kids

For More Information, Please Contact:

  • Kevin O’Flaherty
  • Tobacco Free Kids
  • Played a direct role in shaping NYC’s historic T21 legislation.
    Director Northeastern Region
  • KOflaherty@Tobaccofreekids.Org

Other Helpful Resources:

Tobacco Free Kids Massachusetts

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a leading force in the fight to reduce tobacco use and its deadly toll in the United States and around the world. Our vision: A future free of the death and disease caused by tobacco.

American Lung Association State Report Card

The ALA ‘State of Tobacco Control’ report tracks progress on key tobacco control policies at the state and federal levels, and assigns grades based on tobacco control laws and regulations in effect as of January 2, 2014.

SLATI State Information Massachusetts

SLATI (State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues) is an extensively researched and invaluable source of information on tobacco control laws and policy, and is the only up-to-date and comprehensive summary of state tobacco control laws.

The Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation and the Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids support these four principles for Tobacco 21 ordinances:

  1. Include all tobacco and nicotine products, specifically e-cigarettes. The only exceptions would be FDA recognized nicotine replacement products (gum, patch, etc.) intended for cessation.
  2. Include significant enforcement provisions against illegal sales as research shows that consistent enforcement is of critical importance.
  3. Not include any pre-emption against local authority in more stringent regulation of tobacco or other nicotine product sales, secondhand smoke, or e-cigarette vapor.
  4. Ideally not include possession, usage, or purchase (PUP) penalties that result in criminal records, and instead place the onus on the purveyors of these addictive products.

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