Trading tobacco: are youths choosing cigars over cigarettes?

Cigar consumption in the United States increased by more than 28% between 2000 and 2004, whereas cigarette consumption during the same period declined by 10%.2 Groups that historically have not smoked cigars-youths and females-constitute an increasing proportion of new cigar smokers.3 The average st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of public health (1971) 2005-12, Vol.95 (12), p.2123-2123
Main Authors: Delnevo, Cristine D, Foulds, Jonathan, Hrywna, Mary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Children & youth
Choice Behavior
Cigarettes
Cigars
Dentistry
Excise taxes
Humans
Letter
Nicotiana
Public Health
Secondary schools
Smoking
Smoking - economics
Smoking - epidemiology
Tax increases
Tax rates
Taxes - legislation & jurisprudence
Tobacco
Trends
United States - epidemiology
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Summary:Cigar consumption in the United States increased by more than 28% between 2000 and 2004, whereas cigarette consumption during the same period declined by 10%.2 Groups that historically have not smoked cigars-youths and females-constitute an increasing proportion of new cigar smokers.3 The average state cigarette excise tax has almost doubled, from $0.64 (1999) to $1.17 (2004), raising the average price per pack by $0.814.4 In the last 3 years, 75% of US states increased their cigarette excise taxes (some more than once), whereas far fewer states (30%) increased taxes on nonagarette tobacco products. Data from the 2004 New Jersey Youth Tobacco Survey revealed both encouraging and alarming trends.8 Current cigarette use declined by 29% among high school students between 2001 (24.5%) and 2004 (17.3%); however, for the first time ever, more high school boys reported currently smoking cigars (17.2%) than cigarettes (15.9%). Given the decline in cigarette consumption, the steady growth in cigar consumption, the price inequity between cigars and cigarettes, and the innovative marketing of cigars, the threat to public health posed by cigars is real and deserves attention.
ISSN:0090-0036
1541-0048
DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2005.072728