Curbing the epidemic : governments and the economics of tobacco control / [Prabhat Jha, Frank J. Chaloupka].

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Jha, Prabhat, 1965-

Contributor:

Chaloupka, Frank J., IV

Series:

Development in practice (Washington, D.C.)

Development in practice

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tobacco use--Government policy.

Tobacco use.

Tobacco use--Government policy--Cost effectiveness.

Cost effectiveness.

Physical Description:

xii, 122 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : World Bank, 1999.

Summary:

Tobacco will kill 4 million people in the next 12 months. By 2030 it will be killing 10 million people a year, more than any other single cause, and 7 million of these deaths will be in low-income and middle-income countries, where cigarettes were once rare. As educated and prosperous people abandon smoking, the practice is becoming increasingly concentrated among the poor in most societies. In the rich countries at least, its damaging effects on health are responsible for a large part of the ill health and premature death of the poor. Yet many governments have hesitated to act to control tobacco because of concerns about the economic effects of their action. For example, many policymakers fear that by reducing tobacco consumption they will cause permanent unemployment.

Now, for the first time, the economic aspects of tobacco control are assessed in a single, concise report that reviews international experience. The report concludes that raising taxes on tobacco could save millions of lives while raising government revenues in the medium term, and that other, non-price measures, such as comprehensive bans on cigarette advertising and promotion, could also significantly reduce smoking. The analysis examines the effects of tobacco control policies on employment, and finds that most countries would not suffer permanent job losses.

The report examines the costs of control policies, and sets out an agenda for action for governments, including help for poor tobacco farmers. It also points to roles for the international agencies in reducing the avoidable toll of smoking-related premature death and disability.

Contents:

1 Global Trends in Tobacco Use 13

The Costs and Consequences of Tobacco Control 8

Rising consumption in low-income and middle-income countries 13

Regional patterns in smoking 15

Smoking and socioeconomic status 15

Age and the uptake of smoking 16

Global patterns of quitting 17

2 The Health Consequences of Smoking 21

The addictive nature of tobacco smoking 21

The disease burden 22

Long delays between exposure and disease 23

How smoking kills 24

The epidemic varies in place as well as in time 25

Smoking and the health disadvantage of the poor 25

The risks from others' smoke 26

Quitting works 27

3 Do Smokers Know Their Risks and Bear Their Costs? 29

Awareness of the risks 30

Youth, addiction, and the capacity to make sound decisions 31

Costs imposed on others 32

Appropriate responses for governments 34

Dealing with addiction 36

4 Measures to Reduce the Demand for Tobacco 37

Raising cigarette taxes 37

Nonprice measures to reduce demand: consumer information, bans on advertising and promotion, and smoking restrictions 45

Nicotine replacement therapy and other cessation interventions 53

5 Measures to Reduce the Supply of Tobacco 57

The limited effectiveness of most supply-side interventions 57

Firm action on smuggling 63

6 The Costs and Consequences of Tobacco Control 67

Will tobacco control harm the economy? 67

Is tobacco control worth paying for? 76

7 An Agenda for Action 79

Overcoming political barriers to change 81

Research priorities 81

Recommendations 82

Appendix A Tobacco Taxation: A View from the International Monetary Fund 87

Appendix D The World by Income and Region (World Bank Classification) 95

1.1 Smoking is increasing in the developing world 14

1.2 Smoking is more common among the less educated 17

1.3 Smoking starts early in life 18.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 105-118) and index.

ISBN:

0821345192

OCLC:

41299267