Question 1 tobacco education expenditures in Massachusetts, USA.
BACKGROUND
In 1992, voters in Massachusetts (United States) approved Question 1, a state ballot initiative, which raised the state excise tax to provide funds for tobacco education.


OBJECTIVE
To examine Question 1 expenditures for tobacco-specific programmes in the 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 fiscal years.


METHODS
This study examined trends in Question 1 expenditures. Data were collected from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for the 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 fiscal years.


METHODS
The amount of spending on tobacco-specific programmes.


RESULTS
Excluding the 1994 fiscal year because the state allocated 18 months of new revenues, from the 1995 fiscal year to the projected 1997 fiscal year, the state will have spent 22% of Question 1 funds for tobacco-specific programmes. Question 1 expenditures for tobacco-specific programmes have declined by 15%, whereas Question 1 expenditures for the other programmes decreased only 0.4%.


CONCLUSIONS
The legislature has established a trend that has produced real reductions in Question 1 funding for tobacco education, which appears contrary to the mandate of the voters when they enacted Question 1 in 1992. These reductions undermine the effectiveness of tobacco-specific programmes that are an integral part of the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Programme. These results also highlight the fact that the initial compromises made after initiatives such as Question 1 are adopted have important long-term consequences for funding of tobacco control initiatives.
Begay
M E
ME
Department of Community Health Studies, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA. begay@schoolph.umass.edu
Glantz
S A
SA
D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008404:Massachusetts; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013660:Taxes; D014026:Nicotiana; D014481:United States