Policies for the prevention of cigarette consumption: the case of Spain

Abstract

This paper describes the causes that generate the relatively high – among comparable OECD countries – prevalence of tobacco consumption in Spain. It evaluates the current policy interventions geared towards reducing incidence and prevalence. It argues that, despite a recent major breakthrough in legislation on advertising and consumption in public places, one of the major shortcomings of current policies is the lack of an effective fiscal policy. This lack of effectiveness is explained by some idiosyncrasies of the Spanish cigarette market that call for specific measures.

Dislipidemias: un reto pendiente en prevención cardiovascular. Documento de consenso CEIPC/SEA

“…Segú n el Centro de Investigaciones Socioló gicas y el Comité Nacional para la Prevenció n del Tabaquismo, en 2006 dejaron este há bito el 8% de los fumadores, en torno a 750.000 españ oles 43,44 . Diversos estudios posteriores han descrito una reducció n en la exposició n pasiva al humo del tabaco 45 .…”

The Impact of Cigarette Tax Reduction on Consumption Behavior: Short-And Long-Term Empirical Evidence from Canada

“…When taxes increase differentially between cigarettes and other tobacco products, consumers may partly or totally move their individual demand to less-taxed tobaccobased substitutes such as cigars, smokeless cigarettes, and hand-rolled cigarettes (Mindell et Whynes, 2000;Delnevo, Foulds et al, 2005;Tauras, Powell et al, 2007). They may also turn to cheaper brands to counter the effects of value-based taxes (Nicolás and Domínguez, 2006), and these effects have been shown to be strongest in younger consumers (Lois et al, 1998). Third, Adda and Cornaglia (2006) show that consumers may react to a tobacco tax increase by modifying their smoking behavior to take in more nicotine per cigarette smoked.…”

“…Most governments resorted to increasing excise and sales taxes on tobacco, oftentimes combining these tax hikes with additional measures such as bans on advertising and consumption in public spaces (Nicolás and Domínguez 2006), health warnings (Goel and Nelson 2006), and antismoking advertising (Peter and Nilss 1999). The effects of these policies have been largely investigated and reported in the economic, policy, and business literatures.…”