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. 2005 Sep-Oct;120(5):482–495. doi: 10.1177/003335490512000503

The first decade of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program.

Howard K Koh 1, Christine M Judge 1, Harriet Robbins 1, Carolyn Cobb Celebucki 1, Deborah K Walker 1, Gregory N Connolly 1
PMCID: PMC1497757  PMID: 16224981

Abstract

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the first decade of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program (MTCP). Born after Massachusetts passed a 1992 ballot initiative raising cigarette excise taxes to fund the program, MTCP greatly reduced statewide cigarette consumption before being reduced to a skeletal state by funding cuts. The article describes the program's components and goals, details outcomes, presents a summary of policy accomplishments, and reviews the present status of MTCP in the current climate of national and state fiscal crises. The first decade of the MTCP offers many lessons learned for the future of tobacco control.

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Selected References

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