Tobacco policy and tobacco use: differences across tobacco types, gender and age

Using state-level data for 1997, this paper studies the effectiveness of tobacco policies at reducing tobacco use across different population groups in the USA. The effectiveness of tax (price)-based and non-price tobacco policies are examined on tobacco prevalence (including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco) across gender and age. Besides shedding light on the efficacy of sub-national tobacco policies, the results also examine the extent of spillovers of policy actions across tobacco types. Significant differences in tobacco use are found across gender, age, policies, and between smoking and smokeless tobacco. Policy implications are discussed.