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July, 2015:

Pennsylvania Smoking Age Bill Could Make State Second To Raise Tobacco Sale Age From 18 To 21

Jul 9th, 2015
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http://www.ibtimes.com/pennsylvania-smoking-age-bill-could-make-state-second-raise-tobacco-sale-age-18-21-2001211

By Philip Ross

Pennsylvania lawmakers are moving to raise the smoking age from 18 to 21 in an effort to curb teen cigarette use, positioning the state to become the second ever to impose a higher statewide tobacco sale age. The proposed bill, introduced Monday, would make it illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.

“Simply put, raising the minimum age of legal access to 21 years of age would likely prevent or significantly delay initiation of tobacco use by adolescents and young adults,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, D-Philadelphia, in a statement, according to the Morning Call. “We have a drinking age of 21 because, even though you are considered an adult at age 18, most people still have a lot of growing up to do and lack the maturity to make some decisions which could alter their lives forever.”

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An estimated 480,000 Americans die each year from smoking cigarettes. Researchers have said raising the nationwide tobacco purchasing age could decrease annual smoking related deaths by as many as 48,000 people.

The vast majority of adult smokers began smoking before the age of 21. Health officials have estimated that about 700 children under the age of 18 pick up smoking every day in the U.S., according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

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At least 80 localities in eight states have raised the tobacco purchasing age to 21, however only one state has bumped the sale age statewide. Hawaii became the first state to raise the smoking age by three years in April. Lawmakers there described the law as “groundbreaking” and said it would help keep more underage smokers from adopting the habit.

Gov. David Ige signed the bill on June 19. “Raising the minimum age as part of our comprehensive tobacco control efforts will help reduce tobacco use among our youth and increase the likelihood that our keiki will grow up tobacco-free,” said Ige. Keiki is the Hawaiian word for children.

Majority of Americans Agree You Should Be 21 to Buy Tobacco

Jul 8th, 2015
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http://time.com/3948428/21-cigarette-age/

Tanya Basu @mstanyabasu

Three out of every four American adults favor increasing the minimum age from 18

Three out of every four American adults favor increasing the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21, according to a survey released Tuesday.

The study, released by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine on Tuesday, also found that smokers overwhelmingly agreed; 7 of 10 cigarette smokers backed raising the minimum age.

Brian King, acting deputy director for research translation at the Center for Disease Control’s Office on Smoking and Health, highlighted the health benefits that could come from such an increase. “It could delay the age of first experimenting with tobacco, reducing the likelihood of transitioning to regular use and increasing the likelihood that those who do become regular users can quit.”

Most states require tobacco purchases to be made by someone who is at least 18; in Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey, and Utah, the minimum age is 19. Hawaii, however, already has a must-be-21 to purchase tobacco rule in place.

The data came from a 2014 online survey of 4,219 adults over 18. A separate study earlier this year found that if the all states were to raise the minimum age for tobacco sales to 21, there would be a 12% decrease in smokers along with 250,000 fewer premature deaths

New York Times: CVS Health Quits U.S. Chamber Over Stance on Smoking

Jul 8th, 2015
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/08/business/cvs-health-quits-us-chamber-over-stance-on-smoking.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150707&nlid=68586528&tntemail0=y

The CVS Health Corporation said Tuesday that it was resigning from the United States Chamber of Commerce after revelations that the chamber and its foreign affiliates were undertaking a global lobbying campaign against antismoking laws.

CVS, which last year stopped selling tobacco products in its stores, said the lobbying activity ran counter to its mission to improve public health.

“We were surprised to read recent press reports concerning the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s position on tobacco products outside the United States,” David R. Palombi, a senior vice president at the company, said in a statement. “CVS Health’s purpose is to help people on their path to better health, and we fundamentally believe tobacco use is in direct conflict with this purpose.

“We believe the chamber has advocated for many important causes over the years, and we thank them for their leadership on these issues,” he added. “Given the leadership position we took last year in removing tobacco products from our stores, however, we have decided to withdraw our membership in the chamber.”

The New York Times reported last week that the chamber and its vast network of foreign affiliates had targeted restrictions on smoking in public spaces, bans on menthol and slim cigarettes, advertising restrictions, excise tax increases, plain packaging and graphic warning labels, and often in developing countries. The chamber’s efforts have put it in direct opposition to the World Health Organization’s efforts to curb tobacco use around the world. Thomas J. Donohue, the head of the chamber, has been personally involved in the campaign.

The campaign also runs counter to efforts by some of its members. Four health care companies that serve on its board — Anthem, the Health Care Service Corporation, the Steward Health Care System of Boston and the Indiana University Health system — all support antismoking programs.

The chamber has defended its efforts around the globe, saying it is about defending its members’ business interests.

“It’s unfortunate that a concerted misinformation campaign about the U.S. Chamber’s position on smoking has resulted in a company leaving our organization,” the chamber said in a statement.

“To be clear, the chamber does not support smoking and wants people to quit,” the statement said. “At the same time, we support protecting the intellectual property and trademarks of all legal products in all industries and oppose singling out certain industries for discriminatory treatment.”

The chamber has not said why it has opposed public health steps like restricting smoking in public places, which it called an “extreme” measure when it was proposed in Moldova.

The decision by CVS was the latest criticism to hit the chamber.

Last week, seven Senate Democrats, including Richard Blumenthal, Al Franken and Elizabeth Warren, called the chamber’s tobacco lobbying “craven and unconscionable,” adding that “member companies should be concerned that their good name is sullied in efforts to strike down public health protections worldwide.”

Richard Branson, the billionaire British entrepreneur, said on Twitter that the chamber was on “the wrong side of history.” And on Tuesday, the head of the W.H.O. weighed in, assailing the chamber over its lobbying practices.

“By lobbying against well-established, widely accepted and evidence-based tobacco control public health policies, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce undermines its own credibility on other issues,” said Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the World Health Organization, in a statement on Tuesday. “So long as tobacco companies continue to be influential members of the chamber, legitimate businesses will be tarred with the same brush.”

The chamber is the nation’s largest trade group, but has become increasingly controversial in recent years. Apple resigned in 2009 over the chamber’s opposition to global warming regulation, and in 2013 the American arm of the Swedish construction company Skanska resigned over the chamber’s support to what the company called a “chemical industry-led initiative” to lobby against green building codes.

In a statement Tuesday morning, before the CVS decision was made public, Anthem said it was “dedicated to helping people quit smoking and has led the charge to end tobacco use.”

“Anthem has shared its strong, longstanding position with the chamber and will continue to address our concerns with the chamber directly,” the statement said.

Greg Thompson, a spokesman for the Health Care Service Corporation, said in a statement last week, “We are convinced that ending smoking may help people live longer, enjoy a better quality of life and reduce costs in our health care system.

“This is a point of view we have advocated for decades and made clear to organizations that we support,” he added.

European Parliamentsafeguards health in TTIP, says No to ‘business as usual’ ISDS

Jul 8th, 2015
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Wonder how American tobacco companies can sue countries for antismoking campaigns?

Jul 8th, 2015
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2015/07/08/wonder-how-american-tobacco-companies-can-sue-countries-for-antismoking-campaigns/

Last week, the New York Times revealed in a pair of articles that the American Chamber of Commerce is fighting countries that try to reduce smoking. The tool that the Chamber is using in its battles is a treaty section called an “investor-state dispute settlement provision,” or ISDS. Obama’s administration is currently working to negotiate at least one new deal that so far includes an ISDS provision: the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, designed to further liberalize trade among the U.S., Canada and several countries in Asia and Latin America. The ISDS provision is proving controversial; Elizabeth Warren spoke out against it, as have others.

But the ISDS issue goes beyond the TPP itself. As the Chamber’s fight on behalf of tobacco companies illustrates, even if the TPP stalls or if that provision falls out of the agreement, international companies can still sue countries, right now, under existing international agreements.

Many heads of state tend to rush to sign international agreements, which often have ISDS provisions, either to improve their nation’s reputation or to advance their own domestic agendas. The number of those agreements has increased dramatically in recent years. Many of these agreements potentially allow firms to “treaty-shop” by incorporating their firms in nations that have ISDS provisions that they’d like to use.

How does this work? Suppose a U.S.-based company invests abroad — say, in Venezuela — and subsequently wants to sue the host country for failing to protect its investment. If the country were Venezuela, for instance, U.S. firms suffered substantial losses when former President Hugo Chavez nationalized foreign firms, in particular energy companies. Traditionally, an aggrieved firm would have legal recourse only if its home country had an agreement with an ISDS provision with Venezuela (or whatever the host country might have been). If not — and the U.S. does not have such an agreement with Venezuela — the firm’s options would be limited.

However, ISDS provisions are embedded in a wide variety of international agreements — bilateral investment treaties and preferential trade agreements, for example — and across a broad swath of countries. And a multinational firm has the option of incorporating abroad. If a firm wanted to sue a country through an ISDS provision, it could simply use an existing subsidiary or set one up in a country that does have such a provision with the offending country — even after the offense. For example, after Australia introduced legislation requiring cigarettes to be sold in plain packaging, with only the brand name and a health warning, Philip Morris used its Hong Kong subsidiary to sue Australia, because of a stronger ISDS provision in the Australia-Hong Kong bilateral investment treaty.

Researchers have started examining this trend (here and here). And world leaders have belatedly started to catch on. In the TPP negotiations, Australia has requested exemption from ISDS provisions, in part as a reaction to the tobacco case. More and more countries are exiting or renegotiating agreements that have ISDS provisions.

The rise in international treaties cannot simply be applauded as an increase in international cooperation. Some agreements languish unused, as I’ve demonstrated here, while others can be used in ways never intended or envisioned in the original bargain. In our globalized world, leaders should be aware of the possible unintended consequences of international agreements.

The economics of tobacco control (Part 2): evidence from the ITC Project

Jul 8th, 2015
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We can beat the tobacco epidemic

Jul 7th, 2015
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http://www.worldbank.org/en/about/people/tim-evans

Dr Oleg Chestnov, WHO Assistant Director-General, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, and Dr Tim Evans, Senior Director, Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank Group

2015 marks a decade since the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) entered into force, and in that time impressive global gains have been made in the battle against the tobacco use epidemic.

Dr Oleg Chestnov, WHO Assistant Director-General, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.

Dr Oleg Chestnov, WHO Assistant Director-General, Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.

Spurred by this landmark Convention, most countries across the world have launched comprehensive tobacco control programmes. But, much more must be done to prevent ill health, disability, and the projected 1 billion deaths from tobacco-related diseases this century.

This deadly epidemic has the potential to undermine economic and social development worldwide, and is what drives WHO’s support to countries in the war against tobacco. One strategy that has taken national tobacco control efforts to the next level is the MPOWER package of measures, which was established in 2008. It identifies 6 key WHO FCTC policies – 1 for each letter of the MPOWER acronym – to stamp out the tobacco epidemic, namely to:

  • Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
  • Protect people from tobacco smoke
  • Offer help to quit tobacco use
  • Warn people about the dangers of tobacco
  • Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
  • Raise taxes on tobacco.
  • Dr Tim Evans, Senior Director, Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank Group.

    Dr Tim Evans, Senior Director, Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice, The World Bank Group.

    WHO, in its fifth and latest “Report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2015″, makes a strong case for action to implement MPOWER. The report shows how strong tobacco control policies, can reduce tobacco use and monitor progress in reducing the impact of the tobacco epidemic. It also details country efforts to meet tobacco control targets, and what more they can do.

The evidence of progress is impressive. Today, due to decisive action taken by many countries, almost one in every two people on the planet are covered by at least one MPOWER measure applied at the highest level. This number of countries has more than doubled since 2007 and consequently millions of lives have been saved.

However, the latest “WHO Report on the global tobacco epidemic” points to the fact that most countries are not using one of the cheapest, most effective measure to curb death and suffering from tobacco – taxation of tobacco products.

Higher taxes make tobacco less affordable, helping tobacco users quit and keeping non-users– especially young people, women, and the poor – from ever starting. Despite the proven effectiveness of raising taxes, it is the least implemented MPOWER measure. As shown in a recent study for WHO, only 33 countries levy sufficiently high taxes on tobacco, comprising at least 75% of the retail price of cigarettes. This equates to just one in 10 people on the planet.

Raising tobacco taxes costs little to implement and leads to a windfall of benefits. More importantly, the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) will be much lower, and public health improved. There will also be less need for expensive care from tobacco-related illness.

And, raising taxes can help a country mobilize additional revenue to fund vital health programmes and other essential public services that benefit us all. Indeed, tobacco taxation is an untapped source of domestic financing that will also be important for the successful implementation of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The tobacco industry and other vested interests argue that tax increases on tobacco products fuels the illicit trade of such deadly items. Accumulated international experience, however, shows this argument is flawed. In high-income countries, where higher taxes have increased tobacco prices, illicit trade still is less common when compared to low-income countries with low tobacco taxes.

Indeed, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Chile, Brazil and Spain, for example, have increased tobacco taxes while curbing illicit trade.

Many countries have achieved best practice implementation of multiple MPOWER measures. But it’s clear more must be done. All countries are obliged – and able – to protect and contribute to their people’s wellbeing. Fully implementing the WHO FCTC, including all MPOWER measures, can help countries achieve better health outcomes, and contribute to sustainable economic and social development.

Both WHO and The World Bank Group remain committed to support, as a moral and development imperative, the global tobacco control measures outlined in this report, particularly those related to the tobacco tax agenda. We are convinced that, working together, in support of countries, we will be able to contribute to reverse the epidemic of tobacco use and prevent the human tragedy of tobacco-related illness and death, and save countless lives each year.

WHO: Stepped up government tax action needed to curb tobacco epidemic

Jul 7th, 2015
by AdminCTA.
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http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2015/taxing-tobacco-products/en/

News release

7 July 2015 ¦ Manila – Too few governments levy appropriate levels of tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products. They therefore miss out on a proven, low-cost measure to curb demand for tobacco, save lives and generate funds for stronger health services, according to the “WHO Report on the global tobacco epidemic 2015″.

The report focuses on raising taxes on tobacco. Although 33 countries impose taxes that represent more than 75% of the retail price of a packet of cigarettes, many countries have extremely low tax rates. Some have no special tax on tobacco products at all.

“Raising taxes on tobacco products is one of the most effective – and cost-effective – ways to reduce consumption of products that kill, while also generating substantial revenue,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. “I encourage all governments to look at the evidence, not the industry’s arguments, and adopt one of the best win-win policy options available for health.”

Strategies to support the implementation of demand reduction measures contained within the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), such as the “MPOWER” package, have helped save millions of lives in the past decade. MPOWER was established in 2008 to promote government action on 6 tobacco control strategies – 1 for each letter of the MPOWER acronym – to stamp out the tobacco epidemic, namely to:

Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies;

Protect people from tobacco smoke;

Offer help to quit tobacco use;

Warn people about the dangers of tobacco;

Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and

Raise taxes on tobacco.

The main findings of the report, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, include the fact that raising taxes is the least implemented MPOWER measure in terms of population coverage, and the one that has seen the least improvement in terms of government action since 2008. However, by 2014, 11 countries had raised taxes so that they represent more than 75% of the retail price of a packet of cigarettes, joining the 22 countries that had similarly high taxes in place in 2008.

Dr Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), says higher tobacco taxes and prices are proven methods to reduce consumption and promote quitting the use of tobacco products.

“Evidence from countries such as China and France shows that higher tobacco product prices linked to increased taxes lead to declines in smoking prevalence and tobacco-related harm, such as lung cancer deaths,” says Dr Bettcher.

Dr Vera da Costa e Silva, Head of the WHO FCTC Secretariat, notes that the Convention offers governments policies to curb illicit trade in tobacco products to reduce demand and boost tax revenues from tobacco sales. “Countries should consider implementing the provisions of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products to confront the illegal market,” she adds.

Tobacco taxation could also be a key source of funding for implementing the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

Tobacco-related illness is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. Approximately 1 person dies from a tobacco-related disease every 6 seconds, equivalent to around 6 million people a year. That is forecast to rise to more than 8 million people a year by 2030, unless strong measures are taken to control the epidemic.

Tobacco use is also one of the 4 main risk factors behind the global epidemic of noncommunicable diseases, primarily cancers, cardiovascular and lung diseases, and diabetes. In 2012, these diseases killed 16 million people prematurely (before the age of 70 years), with more than 80% occurring in low- and middle-income countries.

Note for Editors:

1) Other findings from the 5th “WHO Report on the global tobacco epidemic 2015″ include:
40% of the world’s population (2.8 billion people) are covered by at least 1 MPOWER measure at the highest level, more than doubling the number of countries and nearly tripling the number of people covered since 2007;
20% of the world’s population are covered by 2 or more MPOWER measures at the highest level, tripling the number of people to 1.4 billion people since 2007; and
7 countries, including 5 low- and middle-income, have implemented 4 or more MPOWER measures at the highest level, namely Brazil, Islamic Republic of Iran, Madagascar, New Zealand, Panama, Turkey and Uruguay.

2) A research model in China suggests that raising taxes on cigarettes so that they account for 75% of retail prices- up from 40% of the share of price in 2010- would avert nearly 3.5 million deaths that would otherwise be caused by cigarette smoking.

In France, increases in tobacco taxation that began in the 1990s led to a threefold increase in the inflation-adjusted price of cigarettes, and, by 2005, to a halving of cigarette consumption from around six cigarettes per adult per day to three cigarettes per day. Lung cancer rates in France among men aged 35–44 years fell from 1999 onwards.

For more information, please contact:

Fadéla Chaib
Communications Officer
Telephone: +41 22 791 3228
Mobile: +41 79 475 5556
Email: chaibf@who.int

Taxing Tobacco

Jul 7th, 2015
by Editor.
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Over the last ten years, impressive gains have been made in the battle against the tobacco epidemic. Spurred by the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which entered into force in 2005, most countries have launched comprehensive tobacco-control programs. But much more remains to be done. If the tobacco epidemic is left unaddressed, the WHO estimates that it will kill one billion people over the course of this century.

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/tobacco-tax-who-fctc-by-oleg-chestnov-and-tim-evans-2015-07

Tobacco use has the potential to undermine economic and social development worldwide. In order to offset this, the WHO has identified six policies – encapsulated in the acronym MPOWER – that can stamp out the tobacco epidemic: Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies; protect people from tobacco smoke; offer help to quit tobacco use; warn people about the dangers of tobacco; enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and raise taxes on tobacco.

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Each letter of the acronym is important and necessary in the fight against the tobacco epidemic. But the last one – raising taxes on tobacco products – is deserving of careful attention. According to the latest WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, levying taxes on tobacco is one of the cheapest and most effective measures to prevent death and suffering. Unfortunately, it is a tool that few countries are using.

The evidence of progress detailed in the WHO’s report is impressive. The report makes a strong case for the implementation of MPOWER, showing how effective robust interventions can be. Decisive action in many countries has ensured that almost half the world population is covered by at least one MPOWER measure applied at the highest level. Since 2007, the number of countries implementing some form of the recommendations has more than doubled – and millions of lives have been saved.

The report also details the efforts countries are making to meet tobacco-control targets and makes recommendations for improvement. In many cases, it suggests raising taxes on tobacco. Despite the strategy’s proven effectiveness, it is the least implemented MPOWER measure. According to a WHO report, only 33 countries levy sufficiently high taxes on tobacco, amounting to at least 75% of the retail price of cigarettes. This means that only one in ten people worldwide benefits from this measure.

Taxes on tobacco cost little to implement and lead to a windfall of benefits. They make tobacco products less affordable, helping addicts quit and preventing non-users – especially young people, women, and the poor – from ever starting. Raising taxes lowers the burden of non-communicable diseases, improves public health, and reduces expenditures on tobacco-related illnesses. The levies also provide countries with additional revenue that can be used to fund vital health programs and other essential public services. Indeed, tobacco taxation is an untapped source of domestic financing that will be important for the successful implementation of the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

The tobacco industry and other vested interests argue that tax increases on tobacco products fuel illicit trade. Accumulated international experience, however, exposes the flaws in this argument. In high-income countries, where taxes have increased tobacco prices, illicit trade is less widespread than in low-income countries with few taxes on tobacco. Indeed, many countries – including Chile, Brazil, Hungary, Spain, and the United Kingdom – have increased tobacco taxes while curbing illicit trade.

Every country has an obligation – and the ability – to protect its people’s wellbeing. Governments have made tremendous progress in the fight against the tobacco epidemic through the implementation of multiple MPOWER measures, but many could be doing much more if they were willing to raise taxes on tobacco.

Our organizations, the WHO and The World Bank Group, believe that it is a moral and economic imperative to support every possible measure of tobacco control. Taxes on tobacco – the least expensive, least implemented, and most effective tool in the fight to reduce the use of this deadly product – should not be left unimplemented. By raising the cost of tobacco, we have the potential to reverse the epidemic, prevent widespread illness and suffering, and save millions of lives every year.

WHO: countries must raise tobacco tax to 75% of retail price

Jul 7th, 2015
by AdminCTA.
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http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/296435.php

In a new report, the World Health Organization strongly urges governments to raise taxes on tobacco in a global effort to reduce the number of deaths from tobacco-related disease.

During the 20th century, tobacco use claimed an estimated 100 million lives worldwide.

The report states that during the 20th century, tobacco use claimed an estimated 100 million lives, and 6 million lives continue to be lost each year due to use of the substance. That figure represents a loss of life greater than the combined deaths from HIV and AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

Use of tobacco is the largest preventable risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cancers, cardiovascular and lung diseases and diabetes. Progress and development in low- and middle-income countries is threatened by these diseases, the report argues, where more than 80% of deaths from these conditions occur.

Projections find that this NCD burden on low- and middle-income countries will rise unless decisive global action is taken. “The fate of millions of lives depends upon all of us acting decisively to end this global epidemic,” writes Dr. Oleg Chestnov in a foreword to the report.

The solution proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) is to raise taxes to more than 75% of the retail price. The organization claims this is “among the most effective and cost-effective tobacco control interventions,” costs little to implement and increases government revenues.

The report also contains guidelines on how to implement price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco. However, WHO note that, despite the knowledge that appropriate tax measures against tobacco are effective at lowering rates of disease and death and generate income for government treasuries:

“Tobacco companies are also aware of this and make every effort to stop governments implementing public health-driven policies regarding tobacco product taxation. Industry tactics include interfering with the development of taxation policies and lobbying representatives of finance, economy and other relevant ministries and authorities where health expertise and knowledge of the requirements of the WHO [Framework Convention
 on Tobacco Control] is often deficient.”

Consequently, despite the effectiveness of this high-tax intervention, the report notes that only a few countries have taken this step. By 2014, 33 countries had implemented high-tax measures, but still only 10% of the world’s population live in countries with tobacco taxes that WHO consider to be sufficiently high.

‘All countries have the ability to implement strong tobacco control’

WHO argue that “all countries have the ability to implement strong tobacco control policies to protect their people,” emphasizing again that “millions of lives every year depend on our actions.”

Analyzing the results of studies into the influence of tobacco tax increases on public health, the report finds that, in high-income countries, a 10% increase in the price of tobacco will reduce overall tobacco use by an average of 4%.

Low- and middle-income countries generally report greater variation in tobacco-use reductions associated with price increases, but the report finds that a 10% price increase results in an average reduction in tobacco use of 5%.

Studies generally show that half of the decline in tobacco use associated with higher taxes and prices is as a result of users quitting smoking together, WHO say. The remaining half of the decline in use coming from users switching from daily to occasional smoking, or smoking fewer cigarettes each day.

Further bolstering their claim for higher tobacco taxes, WHO point out that increased taxation is the least costly of all tobacco control policies, costing just $0.05 per person per year in low- and middle-income countries.

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