%Importance of reducing smoking initiation
%¶ 1: Why everyone should want to know how we can reduce smoking initiation.
% • Smoking is costly Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and generates enormous individual and social costs. Indeed, estimated external costs of cigarette smoking are over \$300 billion per year.\footnote{This figure includes around \$170 billion in direct medical costs \citep{Xu2015}, the majority of which are payed for by public programs, and over \$156 billion in productivity lost to decreased health and premature death \citep{U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices2014}.}
% • Much public policy has been devoted to reducing smoking. Cigarette taxes are very prevalent (show how much they have grown) Policymakers often use cigarette taxes to reduce smoking and its associated costs. Over the last four decades, real cigarette taxes have increased from an average of \$0.51 per pack in 1976 to \$1.53 in 2014 \citep{TaxBurden2014}. Although cigarette taxes are shown to reduce the total demand for cigarettes \citep{Chaloupka2000}, it is unclear whether they help convince people not to start smoking.
% • Because of the addictive nature of cigarettes, getting people to not start may be more effective than getting them to quit Preventing people from starting to smoke is likely more efficient than encouraging them to quit because smoking is addictive \citep{U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices2014}.
% • There is very mixed evidence on how taxes affect the initiation decision Nevertheless, in a recent review, \cite{Guindon2014} concludes that empirical evidence is ``too limited to make any conclusive statements about the impact of tobacco prices or taxes on smoking onset.'' This has led many to argue that cigarette taxes are an ineffective policy tool for reducing smoking initiation. %¶ 2: What we do, broadly
% • Prior literature has focused on contemporaneous/direct effects. Though the methods and results of previous studies vary, they all focus exclusively on the direct effect of cigarette taxes on individuals' own smoking behavior. There is little evidence that contemporaneous cigarette taxes reduce youth initiation in particular.
% • This
In the United States, smoking cigarettes is the number one preventable cause of morbidity and death (Bergen, 1999), and accounts for $300 Billion in health care costs and economic productivity loss (Jamal, 2015). While the national smoking rate is 16.8% (CDC, 2016), specific demographics are more susceptible to developing smoking habits: people who live below the poverty line (10.9% higher), disabled or with a limitation (6.2% higher), and males (4.7% higher) (Agaku, 2014).
We have all been there in line waiting to purchase something from the store; we step up for our turn take out money that we believe should be enough only to find out that we forgot to count in the taxes and now have to dig into our purse, wallet or pocket to find the extra change, or in some cases dollars. There is a joke that there are a few things we are guaranteed in life, taxes and death. While it may be a joke it holds a fair amount of truth, depending on where you live. Taxes are everywhere “invisible” or obvious taxes, but lets focus more closely on the taxes involving cigarettes. To me as a non smoker it makes sense and I am for it, taxes help the governments budget and other areas. However one must begin to wondered the effects taxes on one of the biggest markets in the United States have, for those who do smoke and those who enjoy an, excuse my banter, but live shaver.
Smoking is the single highest cause of preventable death in America and puts users at significantly greater risk for disease compared to the rest of the population. Tobacco use costs the U.S. more than 289 billion dollars annually in medical expenses and lost productivity (Surgeon General, 2014). The problems associated with smoking are due in part to its addictiveness. Nicotine is the addictive substance found in tobacco and its chemical dependence is as strong as heroin, cocaine, or alcohol (CDC, 2014). Getting all smokers to quit entirely is not realistic due to nicotine’s addictive characteristics.
Cigarettes come from a trend that turns into a habit; That is harmful to human health not only for direct smokers, but also more severely for passive smokers.
In the article ‘Cigarette tax hike sparks panic buying’, Hall (2010) discusses the effects of tax increase on cigarettes. The government has decided to raise the tax on cigarettes by 25%, costing $2.16 more on a pack of 30 cigarettes. This government intervention is an attempt to stop people from smoking and reduce the health bill caused by those who smoke. The increase in tax is expected to save $5 billion more of the people’s tax dollars and the government decided that it will be put into a better use for its health and hospitals reparations. This contractionary fiscal policy is expected to reduce the total tobacco consumption by approximately six percent and drive down the number of smokers by 87,000.
The amount of American smokers is at an alarmingly high rate. Each time a smoker has a cigarette their life expectancy lowers. There are many different ways to quit smoking, but many of these methods are difficult to continue doing or are more expensive then continuing to smoke. This needs to change if the nation is going to see a time where less smokers are around. Smoking effects more than the smokers themselves, so to increase the health of the entire nation smoking must be stopped.
Smoking costs the United States more than $300 billion each year, almost $170 billion put in direct medical care for adults and more than $156 billion in lost productivity due to premature death and those who exposed to secondhand smoke. Almost 5billion in medical cost associated with secondhand smoke. States collect 26.6 billion from tobacco taxes and tobacco industry legal settlements to prevent and control tobacco use, but the states are only using a very small amount of these funds for tobacco control programs. Only 2 states in the united state fund the tobacco control programs at the CDC’s recommended
There are over 1.1 billion smokers in the world-- fifteen percent of the entire population. It is said that one in every three adults is a chronic smoker. Even in America, one of the most progressive countries in the world, forty-two million (about 12.5%) people smoke chronically. Given this astonishing number, it is no surprise that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, responsible for one in every five deaths. Only to add to that, more than 16 million Americans live with a smoking related disease. Since the 1960’s the United States government has attempted to curb these numbers as much as possible; from settling cases in the supreme court to passing new laws and regulations to counter the use of tobacco,
According to CDC (2011) smoking is not only the leading cause of preventable deaths, smoking aggravates the seriousness of other pathologies, creating health complications that need additional medical care, and requiring additional expense on the part of individuals and the taxpayers that support State and Federal health systems. Chronic illnesses, especially those that can lead to morbidity, the hours that employee can work and be productive. Therefore, there are additional costs to individuals and to the greater society. These additional costs and reductions in productivity can be avoided if States reinvest in smoking cessation campaigns at levels equal to or higher than in the 21st century. According to CDC (2011) and Werner (2008) smoking not only costs money, it takes off ten to fourteen years from the normal life expectancy of the smoker and those that are exposed to second hand smoke regularly.
The marginal benefit and marginal cost of cigarettes are in competitive market equilibrium without government intervention, however, the negative social cost of smoking to society would likely lead to market failure without the involvement of the government (reference). Tobacco not only affects the health of its consumers, it can also affect the health of non-smokers who involuntarily inhale second-hand smoke (reference). With the continuation of tobacco consumption, society faces increased tax rates, a loss of productivity and an opportunity cost from patients suffering tobacco-induced health problems, potentially robbing others with unpreventable conditions from the medical resources and treatment they require. Each year Australians spend
While by in large America has a decreasing rate of smoking the south has not reached the same rates of decline as other parts of the country. The problem can be seen through higher rates of lung cancers and other respiratory ailments; the health risk contributes to an increased cost burden on a group of Americans already considered to be poorer than the rest of the country. One possible solution to the problem of US smoking rates is combating it through stronger anti-smoking laws. The government has already reduced rates by limiting smoking in public spaces, and it has proposed to raise the smoking age which could play an important role in decreasing the percentage of smokers in the long term. It is also important to consider the tobacco industry’s
Economic analysis of the effects of tax policy on cigarettes is motivated by the desire to understand how economic forces influences tobacco consumption. This essay will demonstrate how tax policy is a well recognised and supported method of reducing tobacco consumption and will show how tax policy is used to influence supply and demand of tobacco products. The tax on cigarettes in Australia, often called excise, is imposed on cigarette manufacturers. The excise is then passed on to consumers with the effect being a higher price and lower demand.
The statistics show everything needed for financial and personal benefits from the ban of cigarettes, “Tobacco taxes are a proven strategy to reduce smoking, particularly among teenagers and low-income people. Given the high health costs of tobacco use, reducing smoking rates would lead to substantial health gains,” (Marr 1). By raising higher taxes on cigarettes, it raises revenue, lowers the amount of people buying them while lowering the health care taxes for those who need medical care as an effect of smoking. There are clear financial and health positive changes that could be made by banning the market of cigarette sales. Hundreds of years have gone by and thousands of people are suffering an addiction that can be easily controlled, just beginning with taxes on cigarettes, “ Extensive research shows that tobacco taxes reduce smoking and extend lives,” (Marr 1). Since smoking begins at a young age, with the taxes, that will hopefully lead up to a complete ban, will make young adults unable to sustain the lifestyle to buy cigarettes. The taxes will make it difficult for adults with low incomes to spend money on something that is unhealthy for them anyways. There is the point that the taxes would take a greater amount on lower income households but that may not be the case, “They point out that low-income people have higher smoking rates: 29 percent of poor adults smoke, compared to 18 percent of non-poor adults. Also, expenditures for cigarettes account for a greater share of lower-income households’ budgets,” (Marr 1). If tobacco only harmed the smokers the taxes might not have the amount of impact it is striving for, but is used to reduce tobacco use. It may also be used to raise revenue for our country which is an added bonus. To smokers and non-smokers, it brings on numerous health risks and higher
The tobacco industry kills more people in North America from Monday to Thursday of each week than the terrorists murdered in total on September 11, 2001. That sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it? Well, smoking is an epidemic that affects us all, whether you are a smoker or you aren’t. In order to stop this epidemic, we need to
Nicotine use is a leading preventable cause of death in the world, directly and indirectly responsible for 440,000 deaths per year. The health problems that result in tobacco use tally an annual of $75 billion in direct medical costs (Slovic 36). That money spent on medical problems for smokers should be used to pay for more important things in our society such as schools, libraries, childcare, etc.