01/13/2020
I wanted to test the facts regarding Governor Bakers initial claim, the ban on va**ng was a “Public Health and Safety Emergency”. Seems like everybody has an opinion regarding this issue, and that’s fine but, the bullet points below are facts not opinions, with links to the information.
Origin of information: (https://www.cdc.gov/to***co/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm)
More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking.
Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day.
State spending on to***co prevention and control does not meet CDC-recommended levels.
States have billions of dollars from the taxes they put on to***co products and money from lawsuits against cigarette companies that they can use to prevent smoking and help smokers quit. Right now, though, the states only use a very small amount of that money to prevent and control to***co use.
In fiscal year 2019, states will collect a record $27.3 billion from to***co taxes and settlements in court, but will only spend $655 million in the same year. That’s less than 2.4% spent on programs that can stop young people from becoming smokers and help current smokers quit.
Right now, not a single state out of 50 funds these programs at CDC’s “recommended” level. Only two states (Alaska and California) give more than 70% of the full recommended amount. Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia spend less than 20 percent of what the CDC recommends. Three states (Connecticut, Tennessee, and West Virginia) give no state funds for prevention and quit-smoking programs.
Each day, about 2000 people younger than 18 years smoke their first cigarette.
Each day, over 300 people younger than 18 years become daily cigarette smokers.
WOW, sounds like this is a “Public Health and Safety Emergency”, thank god Governor Baker banned ci******es.
Oh wait a minute he initially banned ALL va**ng,
If Governor Baker really cared about “Public Health and Safety”, why won’t he ban ci******es????? Let’s find out.
Origin of information: https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2020/FinalBudget
Fiscal Year 2020 Revenue by Source and Budgeted Fund (in Millions)
FY2020 TAX REVENUES
Source
All Budgeted Funds*
General Fund
Commonwealth Transportation Fund
Other Budgeted Funds
Stabilization Fund
Other Funds
Alcoholic Beverages
97.4
97.4
-
-
-
Ci******es
506.6
506.6
-
-
-
-
Corporations
2,451.9
2,451.9
-
-
-
-
Deeds
393.8
393.8
-
-
-
-
Estate Inheritance
432.2
432.2
-
-
-
-
Financial Institutions
0.3
0.3
-
-
-
-
Income
17,299.0
17,298.7
-
-
0.3
-
Insurance
476.9
476.9
-
-
-
-
Motor Fuels
847.7
-
846.7
-
-
1.0
Public Utilities
-
-
-
-
-
-
Room Occupancy
191.7
191.7
-
-
-
-
Sales - Regular
4,945.0
3,227.9
-
-
-
1,717.2
Sales - Meals
1,281.5
1,281.5
-
-
-
-
Sales - Motor Vehicles
928.0
-
605.8
-
-
322.3
Miscellaneous
16.0
16.0
-
-
-
-
UI Surcharges
24.5
-
-
-
-
24.5
Total Tax Revenues
29,892.5
26,374.8
1,452.5
-
0.3
2,064.9
Origin of information: https://www.cagw.org/thewastewatcher/smoke-what-happened-to***co-master-settlement-agreement-money
In November 1998, forty-six US states, along with the District of Columbia and five US territories, and the major to***co companies entered into a contract of an extraordinary nature. (The other four states, Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Texas, had entered similar agreements on their own beginning the year before.) The agreement, known as the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).
Under the agreement, the to***co companies would make payments, forever, to state governments.
The amount paid by the to***co companies would directly correlate to the number of ci******es sold—the more ci******es sold the more money the states would get.
In exchange for their money, the to***co companies would not be sued by state and local governments seeking recovery of costs associated with to***co use.
The To***co Master Settlement Agreement simultaneously represents one of the most egregious examples of a government shakedown of private industry and offers a case study of the problems that stem from big government and big business scratching each other’s backs. It has turned the largest to***co companies into an indispensable cash cow for politicians and bureaucrats, enabled irresponsible state spending, and, amazingly, has resulted in less money for public health and to***co control while propping up a declining industry. As is the case with discriminatory to***co taxes, the incentives of the MSA are perverse: the more people smoke, the more money the government gets to spend on whatever it wants. The biggest losers are those with to***co-related diseases and smokers trying to quit.
Origin of information:
https://www.kff.org/health-costs/state-indicator/to***co-settlement-payments/?currentTimeframe=0&selectedRows=%7B%22states%22:%7B%22massachusetts%22:%7B%7D%7D%7D&sortModel=%7B%22colId%22:%22Location%22,%22sort%22:%22asc%22%7D
Actual To***co Settlement Payments Received by the States (in millions)
In 2018 Massachusetts received $243 MILLION from the MSA Settlement.
Now, this is my opinion:
After reading the above facts, Governor Baker was using the tragic deaths from Black market laced THC cartridges to attack the va**ng industry. In fact, it is proven, the more people who smoke directly correlates with the amount of money Massachusetts receives, not only in taxes but ensuring the MSA payments keep flowing. Also proven above, the more people smoke the more people die. I guess it’s not a “Public Health and Safety” issue if it’s lining the pockets of the Government.
I think the quote by former Obama chief of staff later Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel sums it up best.
“You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.
Rahm Emanuel
Like have a reason to destroy the va**ng industry.
See the fast facts regarding smoking and to***co use.
