The Effect of E-Cigarette Taxes on Substance Use

Dhaval Dave, Yang Liang, Johanna Catherine Maclean, Caterina Muratori and Joseph J. Sabia

Journal of Health Economics, 2025, vol. 102, issue C

Abstract: Public health advocates warn that the rapid growth of legal markets for electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) may generate a “gateway” to marijuana and harder drug consumption, particularly among teenagers. This study explores the effects of ENDS taxes on substance use. Analyses are based on difference-in-differences and event-study methods applied to both survey (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) and administrative (Treatment Episode Data Set) data. Our results imply that a one-dollar increase in ENDS taxes (2023$) is associated with a 1.0 to 1.5 percentage point decline in teen marijuana use and in co-use of ENDS and marijuana. This result is consistent with e-cigarettes and marijuana being economic complements. We also find that youth responses to ENDS taxes, in terms of their ENDS use and spillovers into marijuana use, appear to moderate over the longer term. We find no evidence that ENDS taxes affect drug treatment admissions or consumption of illicit drugs other than marijuana such as cocaine, methamphetamine, or opioids.

Keywords: ENDS taxation; Teen marijuana use; Vaping; E-cigarette use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 I18 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s0167629625000578

DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2025.103022

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