Curbing adolescent smoking: a review of the effectiveness of various policies

Tobacco-related mortality is one of the biggest killers in American medicine. Evidence suggests that if adolescents can be kept tobacco-free, most will never start using tobacco. Therefore, tobacco control policies directed at the youth population could provide an effective method for sustaining long-term reductions in smoking in all segments of the population. Many forms of tobacco control policies have been implemented including restrictive laws, public campaigns, and taxation duties; there has been disagreement over which is most effective. We investigate the efficacy of various methods of tobacco control in youth and present a review of the published evidence. Econometric data for both youth access restrictions and environmental tobacco smoke restrictions afford ambiguous results. Results vary in a continuum from a moderate negative effect toward, ironically, a marginal positive effect on smoking. While information dissemination policies may be somewhat effective on the onset, they are limited in their effect and eventually diminish over time. We conclude that increases in price affect teen smoking to a great degree. Most estimates show that for a 10 percent increase in prices, which could be implemented by a tax per pack, a 15 percent decrease in cigarettes consumed could be accomplished. Taxation policies are an effective means of preventative medicine.