Rising cost of cigarettes may help smokers honor new years resoluti...( In addition to cigarette tax hik...),Health

In addition to cigarette tax hikes, the trend among governmental officials and lawmakers to implement public smoking bans in many cities and states further provide societal support for smokers to quit. In fact, according to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who championed anti-smoking legislation that recently won approval, prohibiting smoking in workplaces, bars and restaurants could save a 1,000 lives a year.

Overall, public health advocates and physicians agree that these aggressive state and city anti-tobacco initiatives may provide just the incentive smokers need to resolve to quit once and for all. "Taken together, our findings clearly demonstrate the importance of economic incentives in promoting smoking cessation," says Dr. Chaloupka. He adds that higher cigarette prices and anti-tobacco legislation will lead many current smokers to quit smoking, and when coupled with increased access to cessation services and products, even larger reductions in smoking will result.

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Contact: Kristin Zajaczkowski
kzajaczkowski@porternovelli.com
212-601-8201
Porter Novelli
8-Jan-2003