Anti-Smoking Advocates Lament 90% Cut in Cessation, Prevention
       Anti-smoking advocates gathered at the State House Wednesday called on lawmakers to increase funding by nearly $8 million for smoking prevention and cessation programs next year. Once held as a model for other states across the country, the Massachusetts program has been cut by more than 90 percent in the last three years. At its peak in fiscal 2000, the state spent $54 million on anti-smoking initiatives.
       Today, the state spends $3.75 million, according to Tobacco Free Mass, a non-profit anti-smoking group. Gov. Mitt Romney’s fiscal 2006 budget proposal level funds the programs, while the House yesterday added an additional $500,000 to its
budget for a total of $4.25 million. Advocates said they would like to see the state eventually spend the $35 million recommended by the Centers for Disease Control but are pushing for a total of $11 million to be spent next year.
       “In 2002, the Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program budget was slashed,” Tobacco Free Mass Executive Director Diane Pickles said at a press conference. “When the dust settled, all that was left was a mere skeleton of what had existed.” In 1992, voters approved a ballot question increasing the cigarette tax by 25 cents to pay for prevention and cessation programs. The state also receives money from the 1998 tobacco settlement.
       Together, the state receives $700 million from the settlement and taxes every year, according to Pickles. Members of the organization kicked off their "1200 is Enough" lobby day to highlight the number of smoking-related deaths that occur across the country each day and ask lawmakers to restore funding.

SJC Oral Arguments to go Live in May
       In May, Suffolk University Law School will begin live webcasting of oral arguments before the Supreme Judicial Court, as part of a pilot program announced Wednesday by the university and the SJC.
       The live proceedings will be viewable and audible at www.suffolk/.edu/sjc starting at 9 am on May 2, 3, 5 and 6. The web site will also include a schedule and brief summary of the cases on the docket.
       The SJC, originally called the Superior Court of Judicature, was created in 1692 and is the oldest appellate court in continuous existence in the Western Hemisphere. University and court leaders say they are delighted by the opportunity to make court proceedings more widely accessible to the public.

State Launches Anti-Alcohol Program for School Seniors
       With high school graduation season nearing, state officials Wednesday kicked of a program to discourage underage drinking. The program, “Alcohol 101 for High School Seniors,” is a DVD and educational guide that teaches students behavioral tools to decline alcohol and maintain personal control in an array of situations in high school and beyond.
       “Anything we can do to raise awareness of the dangers of underage drinking will ultimately protect our children and save lives,” state Treasurer Timothy Cahill said in a statement. Cahill’s office oversees the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. Cahill was joined by ABCC chairman Eddie Jenkins and Jay Hibbard of the non-profit Century Council at a State House press conference Wednesday to launch the program.
       According to Cahill’s office, 21 percent of 12 to 17-year-olds reported using alcohol in the past month, slightly higher than the national average of 18 percent. The DVDs are now being mailed to every high school guidance counselor in the state.