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March 14, 2006 - The use of tobacco products is at a 55 year low in Massachusetts and also in the nation. Officials credit a healthier society, tobacco education and cigarette taxes for the decreased sales. (click for larger version) 

Americans are kicking the tobacco industry in the butt and, more importantly, in the wallet.

Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly announced last week that cigarette sales across the United States hit a 55-year low last year. Sales are also down 21 percent since 1998, Reilly said, because of measures put in place by Massachusetts and other states throughout the union.

State Senator Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, said there are a number of factors that have contributed to the good news, ranging from a health-conscious society to tobacco taxes and restrictions on where smokers can light 'em up.

"There are fewer places that you can smoke and it's become a more expensive thing to do," said Moore. "The biggest piece is it reflects a whole change in society. More and more people are learning and understanding that smoking isn't a healthy to do."

According to figures compiled by the Tobacco Tax Bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, cigarette sales in 2005 declined by 4.2 percent from 2004 levels, continuing what Reilly calls an "unprecedented long-term decline" in cigarette smoking that began with the settlement of lawsuits that 47 state attorney generals brought against the major tobacco companies. Since the negotiation of the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) in 1998, which imposed public health restrictions on the advertising, promotion and marketing of tobacco products, cigarette sales in the United States have fallen by more than 21 percent and the 378 billion cigarettes sold in this country represent the lowest number of cigarettes sold since 1951.

"Massachusetts was one of the first states to take on the tobacco companies for the damage they did — and continue to do — to the public's health," Reilly stated in a press release.

The MSA, among other things, bans outdoor advertising on billboards, stadiums, buses and shopping malls; prohibits misrepresenting the facts about the health consequences of smoking; and prohibits participating cigarette manufacturers from engaging in advertising, marketing and other promotional activities that target minors. The MSA also requires participating manufacturers to make annual payments to the states in perpetuity. The payments, Reilly's office said, will total more than $204 billion to the states and $8 billion to Massachusetts through 2025.

"In addition to the provisions of the Master Settlement Agreement, the states have to be vigilant in making sure that the next generation, our kids, are not getting hooked on tobacco," Reilly said. "That's why Massachusetts has strict regulations aimed at keeping tobacco away from children."

Moore said there are several bills and pieces of legislation that may result in taxes on tobacco-products being raised, which may leave smokers paying up to an additional 60 cents for a pack of smokes.

SMOKING FACTS

According to the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP), tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and illness in Massachusetts and throughout the country, counting for more deaths than automobile accidents, AIDS, homicides, poisonings and suicides combined. More than 9,000 Bay State residents die each year from tobacco-related causes and, the MTCP asserts, tobacco-related illnesses cost the state's health system in excess of $2.7 billion annually.

According to reports, after just 20 minutes of quitting, a person's blood pressure can drop to a level close to that prior to the last cigarette. Additionally, carbon monoxide levels in the blood drop to normal after eight hours and after 24 hours of quitting, the chance of a heart attack also decreases.

There are currently 45.5 million Americans addicted to tobacco. Roughly one in four adults and one in five teenagers in the United States are current smokers, according to the American Cancer Society.

The cancer organization claims tobacco's dependency is comparable in severity to dependence caused by opiates (such as heroin), amphetamines and cocaine. Only about five percent of everyday smokers are able to quit and stay quit for three to 12 months.

According to the American Cancer Society, secondhand smoke causes between 35,000 and 40,000 deaths from heart disease each year. Secondhand smoke has also been shown to increase nonsmokers' risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

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