Contact: Richard Gulla
781-434-7101
rgulla@mms.org
Waltham, Mass. – May 14, 2013 – Saying that it has “steadfastly held that the health professions have a special obligation to promote the public health whenever possible,” The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) today offered testimony before the legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health, voicing strong support for House Bill 1966, “An Act Restricting the Sale of Tobacco Products at Health Care Institutions.”
House Bill 1966 would ban the sale of tobacco products by health care institutions and bar licensed health professionals from working in a professional capacity in locations where tobacco products are sold.
In its testimony, the MMS said it believes that “the sale of tobacco by health care institutions or by retail establishments that operate or have a health care institution within it should be banned,” and that “licensed health care professionals should not be permitted by their very presence to legitimize the sale of tobacco products.”
MMS recognized that such a bill “would not end the sale of tobacco products,” but said that “it would send an important health message to our patients and be another step in savings lives and in reducing illness and the cost of health care in the Commonwealth.”
Since 2008, MMS has had a policy that will support government action to prevent the sale of tobacco in any health care facility licensed by the Commonwealth or any site where a health care provider licensed under any section of Chapter 112 of the Massachusetts General Laws practices his or her profession.
“We can remember when smoking and the sale of tobacco products in hospitals was the norm,” the MMS continued in its testimony. “Today, our hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and physicians’ offices, and their grounds, are smoke-free. Unfortunately, there is still work to be done because tobacco products continue to be sold by pharmacies or by retailers that also house pharmacies or other health care institutions.”
MMS noted that tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of premature death in the United States today. With an estimated more than 400,000 deaths annually, smoking kills more Americans than auto accidents, AIDS, alcohol and illegal drugs, and, murders and suicides combined. About 24 Massachusetts citizens die prematurely every day as a result of tobacco use. Many more become seriously ill, suffering from cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.
Aligned with its support of House Bill 1966 and in keeping with its policy against the sale of tobacco, MMS also registered its support for three other bills intended to reduce access to tobacco products: House 2074, An Act Banning the Sale of Cigars in Packages of Less than Five; Senate 1046, An Act Providing for the Disclosure of Certain Information Relating to Tobacco Products Sold in the Commonwealth; and Senate 1055, An Act Relative to Other Tobacco Products.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with more than 24,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and Journal Watch alerts and newsletters covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education for health care professionals throughout Massachusetts, conducting a variety of medical education programs for physicians and health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. For more information please visit www.massmed.org, www.nejm.org or www.jwatch.org.
