Massachusetts Criminal Defense Attorney Kevin J. Mahoney: When State Lawmakers Run out of Ideas, They Simply Tax Few would argue that smoking is hazardous to one’s health. Certainly the better awareness we have these days of the dangers of tobacco is evident by the fact that only 22% of Americans smoke today, down from an all-time high of 45% in the mid-1950s. But is an increase in the cigarette tax for Massachusetts residents really a means of motivating those remaining smokers to quit, or is … [Read more...]