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OregonReducing Cigarette Consumption through a Comprehensive
Tobacco Control Program
MMWR Highlights
February 26, 1999 / Vol. 48 / No. 7
- Oregon's voter-approved measure in 1996 to increase cigarette excise
taxes by $.30 (to $.68 per pack) and to implement a new comprehensive
tobacco prevention and education program reduced cigarette consumption
by 11.3 percent between 1996 and 1998 (two-years following the voter
initiative); thus reversing a 4-year period (1993-1996) of increasing
consumption prior to the measure.
- Between 1996 and 1998 per capita cigarette consumption declined 11.3
percent (or ten packs per person) in Oregon following the
implementation of a 1996 voter-supported initiative to raise tobacco
taxes and authorize funding of a statewide tobacco prevention and
education program. This drop in consumption compares favorably to a
2.2 percent increase in consumption between 1993 and 1996 (the years
prior to the ballot initiative).
- In 1998, 25 million fewer cigarette packs were sold in Oregon
compared to 1996, despite a population increase of 2.7 percent.
- Preliminary adult smoking prevalence data show a 6.4 percent decline
from 1996 to 1998, representing 35,000 fewer smokers in Oregon.
- Oregon became the fourth state to pass a citizen initiative to raise
tobacco taxes and dedicate a portion of the revenue to tobacco
prevention and education programs. Other states that have passed
similar initiatives are California (1988), Massachusetts (1992), and
Arizona (1994).
- Economic studies show that a 10 percent increase in the price of
cigarettes will reduce overall smoking among adults by about 4
percent. A consensus view is that for every 10 percent rise in price,
there will be a 7 percent decrease among young people smoking.
- Oregon's 15.8 percent increase in cigarette price alone (calculated
in 1996 dollars) was projected to result in only a 6.3 percent
decrease in cigarette consumption. However, the reported 11.3 percent
decline adds support to other analyses that have concluded that states
have better results in reducing cigarette consumption when cigarette
tax increases are coupled with comprehensive statewide tobacco
prevention and education programs.
- Comprehensive tobacco prevention and control efforts, like those
adopted in Oregon, California, and Massachusetts, can lead to
significant reductions in tobacco use, thereby reversing the mounting
health and financial burden attributed to tobacco use.
Decline in Cigarette Consumption Following
Implementation of a Comprehensive Tobacco Prevention and Education Program
Oregon, 1996-1998 48(07):140-143, February 26, 1999 |
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