Question

QUESTION 8

One proven public policy intervention that has reduced teen tobacco consumption is:

		Public service announcements on radio and TV about the dangers of tobacco
		Raising taxes on cigarettes
		Education to elementary school children about the hazards of smoking
		Minors who buy cigarettes must serve a mandatory jail sentence of one month

Answer 1

Answer: Raising taxes on cigarettes

Many studies show that the teenagers and young population are very responsive to cigarette price increases, and thereby decreasing the demand for them two to three times more than in adults.

The reason may be :

• The young people have low income to spend on these products
• Peer pressure: the pressure from peers who have reduced their consumption of tobacco
• Less addiction than adults
• Their orientation to the present and less to the future

Reference:

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Reducing Tobacco Use: a Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of Smoking and Health, 2000.