As it is known smoking is one of the most harmful and even addictive things people can do, and only kicking this bad habit is very hard. So, convincing smokers to quit, and protecting children from ever starting smoking, is urgent. Cigarettes tax increase is important not only for those who want to quit, but for everybody who pays higher health costs to care for people with smoking related disease.

In spite of that, money for anti-smoking cessation programs has gone down in Massachusetts, whereas state taxes on cigarettes carrying in hundreds of millions of dollars.

For example, Massachusetts has one of the increased cigarette taxes in the country - $2.51 on every pack. The big tobacco colony brought in another $315 million. However, out of the approximately $900 million the state took in from cigarette taxes and settlement supplies, lawmakers consecrated only $4.5 million to anti-smoking programs this year.

"At the present the program is funded at less than 1% of what the state brings in tobacco income," declared Russet Morrow Breslau, the head of Tobacco Free Mass, a consortium of health groups.

And approximately all of that tobacco revenue goes into the state's general fund. Not any penny is distinguished for anti-smoking programs, so, the state's Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program is funded at absolutely level legislators decide.

The last time state cigarette taxes raised was two years ago. The tax went up by a dollar a pack. While that money did not go immediately to anti-smoking efforts, it is earmarked to help pay for the state's health cessation programs.

"If you're going to increase prices on cigarettes and other smoking products you need to use that money to help people quit smoking," declared Breslau.

A number of years ago the state did just that. For example, in 2000 Massachusetts spent $54 million on anti-smoking programs. But because present financial crisis, legislatures use that money for other needs.

So, the funding for the state's anti-tobacco program stated to vibrate. It was down to about $2 million a few years ago, and then increased bit-by-bit until it went up to nearly $13 million last year. But the decline and lowered income tax collections caused the legislature to cut $8 million to this year's $4.5 million level.

"We are doing everything we can with our limited resources to provide them the help they need," reported Lois Keithly, PhD, the head of the state's Tobacco Cessation and Prevention Program.