Oregon--Reducing Cigarette Consumption through a Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program
Fact Sheet - February, 1999
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•Oregon’s voter-approved measure in 1996 to increase cigarette excise taxes by $.30 (to $.68 per pack) and to implement a new comprehensive tobacco prevention and education program reduced cigarette consumption by 11.3 percent between 1996 and 1998 (two-years following the voter initiative); thus reversing a 4-year period (1993-1996) of increasing consumption prior to the measure.
•Between 1996 and 1998 per capita cigarette consumption declined 11.3 percent (or ten packs per person) in Oregon following the implementation of a 1996 voter-supported initiative to raise tobacco taxes and authorize funding of a statewide tobacco prevention and education program. This drop in consumption compares favorably to a 2.2 percent increase in consumption between 1993 and 1996 (the years prior to the ballot initiative).
•In 1998, 25 million fewer cigarette packs were sold in Oregon compared to 1996, despite a population increase of 2.7 percent.
•Preliminary adult smoking prevalence data show a 6.4 percent decline from 1996 to 1998, representing 35,000 fewer smokers in Oregon.
•Oregon became the fourth state to pass a citizen initiative to raise tobacco taxes and dedicate a portion of the revenue to tobacco prevention and eduction programs. Other states that have passed similar initiatives are California (1988), Massachusetts (1992), and Arizona (1994).
•Economic studies show that a 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes will reduce overall smoking among adults by about 4 percent. A consensus view is that for every 10 percent rise in price, there will be a 7 percent decrease among young people smoking.
•Oregon’s 15.8 percent increase in cigarette price alone (calculated in 1996 dollars) was projected to result in only a 6.3 percent decrease in cigarette consumption. However, the reported 11.3 percent decline adds support to other analyses that have concluded that states have better results in reducing cigarette consumption when cigarette tax increases are coupled with comprehensive statewide tobacco prevention and education programs.
•Comprehensive tobacco prevention and control efforts, like those adopted in Oregon, California, and Massachusetts, can lead to significant reductions in tobacco use, thereby reversing the mounting health and financial burden attributed to tobacco use.
Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1-800-CDC-1311, (770) 488-5705, http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
To read the full article from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report February, 1999-http://www.cdc.gov./tobacco/mmwr299.htm