The Distributional Effects of Tobacco Control Policies On Adult Smoking Behavior

Erik Nesson

No 201207, Working Papers from Ball State University, Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper uses quantile regression to estimate whether adult smokers' responses to tobacco control policies change across the distribution of smoking levels. I measure smoking behavior with the number of cigarettes smoked per day and also with serum cotinine levels, a continuous biomarker of nicotine exposure, using individual level repeated cross-section data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys. I find that higher cigarette excise taxes reduce smoking prevalence, and both higher cigarette prices and excise taxes reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day among smokers. Using quantile regression, I find that the reductions in cigarette smoking are concentrated among the heaviest smokers. However, using serum cotinine levels, I find little evidence that cigarette excise taxes or prices affect smokers intake of nicotine at any smoking level. I directly test whether the amount of nicotine smokers ingest from each cigarette is affected by tobacco control policies, and in fact I find evidence that the heaviest smokers consume more nicotine from each cigarette in response to higher cigarette prices. Additionally, I find evidence that smoke-free air laws in private workplaces and restaurants or bars are associated with reduced smoking prevalence, but not reductions in cigarette smoking or serum cotinine levels among smokers.

Pages: 50 pages
Date: 2012-06, Revised 2012-06
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http://econfac.bsu.edu/research/workingpapers/bsuecwp201207Nesson.pdf First version, 2012 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bsu:wpaper:201207

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