Smoking, Taxation and the Poor
David JanazzoJuly 9, 2018
As a follow-up to our April 10, 2018, blog, entitled “Thoughts on ‘Why are the poor blamed and shamed for their deaths?’,” we explore the data associated with smoking and the cost of tobacco products over time. Taxation is a key demand-reduction measure of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and taxes constitute a significant component of the cost of a pack of cigarettes in many countries. The analysis we conduct in this report focuses on the U.S. market and specifically on data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other sources at the state level.