Higher Taxes Help Smokers Kick the Habit

Tobacco-free workplaces assist too, new research finds

FRIDAY, June 3, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- How can the government help Americans stop smoking? New research suggests that higher tobacco taxes will do the trick, and stricter no-smoking rules in the workplace aren't a bad idea either.

Exhibit A: New York City. More than one out of every 10 smokers there gave up tobacco between 2002 and 2003 after the city boosted cigarette taxes and banned smoking in a variety of workplaces, including bars and restaurants, according to research released this week.

Education efforts and free nicotine patches may have also boosted the quit rate. "When you have a program that takes multiple ways to try to reduce smoking, it works," said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. "Different parts of the program worked better for different people."

According to a study co-authored by Frieden, higher tobacco taxes appeared to be most effective method. That's not surprising: the state hiked the per-pack cigarette tax from $1.11 to $1.50 in 2002, and the city followed up with a near-20-fold increase, from eight cents to $1.50 a pack, the study reported.

As a result, the typical cost of a pack of cigarettes grew by a third to a hefty $6.85. At that rate, a pack-a-day smoker would have to shell out $2,500 a year, the study said.

The results of the study, published in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health, suggest that teen-agers and the poor were most likely to quit because of the taxes, Frieden said.

In total, the number of smokers in the city dropped from 21.6 percent to 19.2 percent between 2002 and 2003, amounting to about 140,000 people. "Rates came down substantially in every group, in all parts of the city, among males and females, among all educational levels, and among both U.S.- and foreign-born people," Frieden said.

While the stress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks may have temporarily boosted smoking levels, the attacks themselves didn't seem to have any permanent impact on tobacco use, according to Frieden.

In a widely publicized move, the city also banned smoking in virtually all workplaces, including former smoker havens like bars and restaurants.

Another study in the June issue of the American Journal of Public Health suggests this is an effective strategy.

Researchers at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., examined telephone surveys of 1,967 employed smokers that took place in 1993 and 2001.

Smokers were nearly two times more likely to have quit by 2001 if their workplaces banned smoking either before or during the eight-year period. Even those who continued smoking cut their daily intake by an average of 2.57 cigarettes.

"Most smokers are equally motivated to quit," said study co-author Andrew Hyland, a research scientist with the institute. "But when a smoker is in a smoke-free environment, it makes it easier for them to quit. They see fewer people smoking around them, and it makes it easier to succeed."

New York City is far from alone on the smoke-free workplace front. Several states, including California, have already banned smoking in workplaces, including restaurants and bars. States in the Midwest, Pacific Coast and Northeast seem especially amenable to the new laws, Hyland said.

"About a quarter of the population lives in a state that has a law that prohibits smoking in virtually all indoor public workplaces, bars and restaurants, as well as your routine office setting," he said. "More states pass laws (nearly) every day."

More information

Learn what happens within 20 minutes of quitting smoking from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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