Other states that have followed its lead with comprehensive tobacco control programs – particularly Massachusetts, Oregon, Florida, and Mississippi – have also documented declines in tobacco consumption.

As any of you who have succeeded in quitting smoking can attest, ridding yourself of nicotine addiction is extraordinarily difficult. The late Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead once said that he had an easier time quitting his heroin habit than quitting smoking – and indeed he never did succeed in giving up cigarettes.

On the individual level, we now have better medical tools to help people quit, such as nicotine patches and new drugs that counter nicotine’s effect on brain chemicals. Yet California’s experience shows that it is a comprehensive package of public policies, changes in social norms, and health education that work in tandem to reduce smoking levels and – most importantly – encourage people to avoid this deadly habit altogether.