By the Numbers - July 21, 2014
15%
The percentage by which suicide rates declined "in states that implemented higher taxes on cigarettes and stricter policies to limit smoking in public places," according to a forthcoming study in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research -- Probing the Smoking–Suicide Association: Do Smoking Policy Interventions Affect Suicide Risk?
Conversely, in states with lower cigarette taxes and more lenient public smoking laws, the suicide rate increased by as much as 6%, according to the study, which concluded:
Cigarette excise taxes, smoke-free air policies, and an index combining the two policies all exhibited protective associations with suicide. The associations were strongest in segments of the population where predicted smoking prevalence was the highest and weaker in segments of the population where predicted smoking prevalence was the lowest, suggesting that the protective associations were related to changes in smoking behavior.
15%
The percentage by which suicide rates declined "in states that implemented higher taxes on cigarettes and stricter policies to limit smoking in public places," according to a forthcoming study in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research -- Probing the Smoking–Suicide Association: Do Smoking Policy Interventions Affect Suicide Risk?
Conversely, in states with lower cigarette taxes and more lenient public smoking laws, the suicide rate increased by as much as 6%, according to the study, which concluded:
Cigarette excise taxes, smoke-free air policies, and an index combining the two policies all exhibited protective associations with suicide. The associations were strongest in segments of the population where predicted smoking prevalence was the highest and weaker in segments of the population where predicted smoking prevalence was the lowest, suggesting that the protective associations were related to changes in smoking behavior.