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Legislative Priorities

Tobacco Free Mass advocates for legislation, policies and programs that counteract the tobacco industry’s impact on the people of Massachusetts, focusing on those most affected by tobacco use and its harms.

Our legislative priorities for the current 2023 session are:

Funding Massachusetts' Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program. This program provides enforcement, technical assistance, epidemiology and evaluation, communications, and local funding for tobacco control efforts throughout Massachusetts.

Expand coverage of tobacco cessation services within MassHealth to dentists, behavioral health providers, and others who work with people most affected by tobacco. Expanding the types of trusted health providers who can offer quitting help to smokers and tobacco users increases access to cessation services and medicines.

Increase cigarette tax by $1.00 and increase cigar tax from 40% to 80% of wholesale price. Increasing the price of tobacco products makes them less appealing and accessible to young people.

Fight against efforts to repeal or weaken Massachusetts' strong state and local tobacco laws. The tobacco industry uses lobbyists, lawyers, and disinformation campaigns to try to weaken tobacco laws, including Massachusetts' first-in-the-nation flavor restriction law.

Philip Morris is working hard to polish its image in Massachusetts... while undermining public health efforts at the same time.

Learn what's happening.

We work for the day when no person in the Commonwealth is addicted to nicotine or impacted by the harmful effects of tobacco use on health and wellbeing.

Here's how we've committed to making this vision a reality.

Current tobacco laws in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Association of Health Boards has collaborated with other experts to create a guide to tobacco laws in Massachusetts.

Laying a Solid Foundation: Tobacco Laws Pertaining to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a comprehensive listing of state and federal tobacco-related laws affecting Massachusetts, as well as provisions from the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement between most states’ Attorneys General and the vast majority of tobacco companies. It was last updated in 2021.

In Massachusetts, cities and towns can enact stricter tobacco-related laws than those at the state or national level, so it's important to check municipal websites or the city/town clerk's office to see if a municipality has laws that enhance or advance state or national ones.

Federal Legislation

Tobacco Free Mass supports federal legislation to advance our priorities on the national level. The Quit Because of COVID-19 Act supports our efforts to increase access to tobacco cessation and the Tobacco Tax Equity Act supplements our state-level efforts to discourage youth tobacco use by increasing the price of tobacco products. We also support the FDA's effort to stop the sale of menthol cigarettes and federal efforts to stop the sale of new, harmful nicotine products like JUUL.

mailing address:

Tobacco Free Mass

PO Box 1701

Provincetown, MA 02657-5701

(617) 795-4129

tobaccofreema@gmail.com

Our understanding of complex issues is enhanced through a diversity of expertise and perspectives. We actively welcome people of every age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, class, ability, language, and cultural background.

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