TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION 101: MASSACHUSETTS

Key Points: 

• Massachusetts’s vaping industry provided more than $333 million in economic activity in 2018 while generating 1,425 vaping-related jobs. Sales of disposables and prefilled cartridges in Massachusetts exceeded $18.8 million in 2016.

• As of December 26, MDPH has reported 105 cases of vaping-related lung illnesses and includes information on age, gender, and substances vaped. 60 percent of Massachusetts patients reported vaping THC. MDPH earns an A-ranking for its reporting on vaping-related lung illnesses.

• In 2017, only 2.1 percent of Massachusetts high school students reported daily use of vapor products. More data is needed.

• Only 2 percent of FDA retail compliance checks resulted in sales of e-cigarettes to minors from January 1, 2018 to September 30, 2019.

• Massachusetts spends very little on tobacco prevention. In 2019, Massachusetts dedicated only $4.2 million on tobacco control, or less than 1 percent of what the state received in tobacco settlement payments and taxes.