Smoking Taxes, Smoking Kids

The taxation of cigarettes while a baby is in the womb doesn't just impact those with a habit during pregnancy. It has effects that stick around well into adulthood. That means cigarettes priced more highly for expecting mothers could steer adults away smoking when they later fall expecting. Some see these taxes as a way to nip cigarette use in the bud, but we need to dive deeper than that. The same people who are cigs are usually burning out funds, and thus thinner wallets have been linked to fewer cigarettes. This may have some long-term benefits for public health as well. Taxes aren't just a quick fix. They seem pretty effective at reducing smoking rates among those who are pregnant. Even when they've given birth, they going to be less likely to light up another.

What happens to those kids after they grow up? Smoking outlook can be bad to start, but may bolster the kids' intergenerational wellbeing. However, other birth data for kids exposed to these taxes do not indicate fewer health issues. This makes things quite complicated. That's not all—when big taxes happen before birth, it also seems to change the participants in today's tobacco market. The ones that continue to smoke under high taxes are those who are not affected by price changes. Price jumpers may have changed the the cigarette tax game, although taxes are an important aspect to reducing smoke.

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