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World's best practice in tobacco control
  1. MURRAY LAUGESEN
  1. Public Health Physician
  2. Health New Zealand
  3. laugesen@healthnz.co.nz

    https://doi.org/10.1136/tc.9.2.228

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      As we move into the next millennium, where in the world can we find the “world's best practice” in tobacco control? Where are the benchmarks that tobacco control advocates can cite as examples of what is possible? For this issue, which will be distributed to all delegates at what promises to be the largest tobacco control meeting ever held—the 11th World Conference on Tobacco or Health, in Chicago, 6-11 August 2000—we have asked 10 contributors to outline cases for particular nations to be considered.—ED

      World's best practice in tobacco control

      Most comprehensive tobacco control programme: New Zealand

      Several American state programmes have seen adult smoking prevalence levels fall below 20%. The Singaporean programme maintains a low smoking prevalence among women. Sweden has the lowest tobacco consumption per adult among industrialised OECD countries, but the most rapid decrease in consumption has been in New Zealand,1-1where consumption has halved in 15 years and adult prevalence has reduced by one quarter, from 32% in 1981 to 24% in 1996 (census data, see table 1-1).

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      Table 1-1

      Components of the comprehensive programme, New Zealand, March 2000

      Most New Zealand doctors had quit smoking before the Tobacco Institute (1980), ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) (1982), and the Department of Health (1984) employed staff to work on the tobacco issue. Between 1980 and 1994 the government tripled revenue from tobacco tax and halved tobacco consumption per adult. The government increased tobacco tax rates most years up to 1991, and again in 1995 and 1998. Costliness doubled, from 11 minutes to earn 20 cigarettes at average wage rates in 1981, to 22 minutes in 1994 to 23 minutes in 1998. Smokers are now extremely price responsive; the 1998 tax increase raised prices 13%, and shop sales fell 10% within a week, a result confirmed by the decrease in releases for sale between 1997 and 1999.

      Health Minister (now …

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      Footnotes

      • The authors of this contribution declined to nominate the “world's best” tobacco taxing nation, arguing that: there is no consensus about a minimum desirable level of proportional taxes; no country is increasing taxes, regularly, in line with increases in disposable income; and no country is investing sufficiently in price revenue protection. While the UK currently has the highest tax rates, smuggled products are widely available, making licit tobacco prices pretty much irrelevant.—ED

      Footnotes

      • The writing of this report was supported by Project ImpacTeen, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, through the University of Illinois at Chicago (Frank Chaloupka, Principal Investigator).

      Footnotes

      • Supported by National Cancer Institute Grant CA-61021.