Doubling the price of cigarettes could save millions of lives

How can smoking be further reduced??

Smoking puts millions of people at risk every day, resulting in high health care costs. For a long time has been looking for ways and means that make it easier for people to stop smoking. Researchers now found that a sharp rise in the price of cigarettes and tobacco would save millions of lives.

The researchers from the University of Toronto found in their recent research that extreme cigarette price increases would cause millions of people to die as a result of smoking. The experts published the results of their study in the English-language journal "BMJ".

Smoking is extremely unhealthy and leads to life-threatening illnesses. Experts noted that an extreme price increase for cigarettes would increase the life expectancy of millions of people. (Image: pixelrain / fotolia.com)

Price increase could reduce poverty

Many people want to give up smoking, but they do not succeed. This raises the question: how could these people be helped? If the price of cigarettes rises by 50 percent, it could lead to unprecedented health gains and poverty reduction, study authors explain. In addition, millions of people would live much longer. Especially people with a lower income would benefit most from the price increase, not only in terms of their health, but also in terms of their wallet, the researchers add.

In the 21st century billion dead by smoking?

If the current trend continues, smoking will cause around one billion people to die as a result of smoking in the 21st century, which includes, for example, various types of cancer, heart disease and lung disease. The results of the current study contradict the testimony of some critics that higher cigarette prices would negatively affect the poorest of us, explains Prof. Prabhat Jha of the University of Toronto.

High taxation of cigarettes works effectively

The current analysis shows exactly the opposite. A higher price would encourage people to quit smoking, leading to better health and saving a lot of money for poorer people. Taxing cigarettes is the best way to get people to quit smoking. Especially if the price increase for those with a low income is completely out of reach, say the researchers. In addition, such an increase in prices prevents young people from starting to smoke.

Smoking should be unaffordable

While high taxation is already used in many countries, the results of the study suggest that the price should continue to rise. Increasing the price in the UK to almost £ 20 per pack would make smoking prohibitive for many people and encourage smokers to quit.

Researchers calculate the benefits of doubling the price

Professor Jha and his team attempted to predict the effect of a 50 percent increase in cigarette prices on health and poverty in 13 countries with a total of 500 million male smokers. To do this, they used a computer model to measure the impact of aging and income group cessation by looking at the impact on the number of extra years of life gained.

What would a doubling of the price effect?

The researchers found that a 50 percent price increase would increase life by about 450 million years in 13 countries, half of them in China alone. The average number of years of life added to each smoker who came from the lower income bracket was five times higher than the benefit of those with the highest earnings, physicians explain.

Price increase could avoid extreme poverty

The higher price of cigarettes would protect about 15.5 million men from catastrophic health expenditure in countries without a national health service. In addition, 8.8 million men would avoid extreme poverty. The results of the current study will have far-reaching effects, the experts explain. (As)