The impact of tobacco control program expenditures on aggregate cigarette sales: 1981-2000

Since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between states and the tobacco industry, states have unprecedented resources for programs to reduce tobacco use. Decisions concerning the use of these funds will, in part, be based on the experiences of states with existing programs. We examine the experiences of several states that have adopted comprehensive tobacco control programs. We also report estimates from econometric analyses of the impact of tobacco control expenditures on aggregate tobacco use in all states and in selected states with comprehensive programs for the period from 1981 through 2000. Our analyses clearly show that increases in funding for state tobacco control programs reduce tobacco use.