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Rising cigarette prices hit US spirits sales
The rising prices of cigarettes have dampened sales of spirits and beer, according to a new study on the relationship between smoking and drinking.
A new study has found that tax hikes for cigarettes has resulted in lower consumption of spirits and beer in the US
Looking at alcohol consumption in the US between 1980 and 2009, the study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found that spirits and beer sales had dropped in states with high cigarette taxes and restrictions on where people can smoke.
States with the highest tax hikes saw a 26% decline in alcohol sales, excluding wine, compared to 5% in states with low tax increases.
A complete statewide ban on smoking in bars, restaurants and the workplace, compared to no restrictions, reduced per capita beer consumption by 4% and spirits consumption by 11%, researchers found.
They also claimed that for every 10% hike in cigarette prices, the number of people who smoke dropped by 2%.
However, cigarette prices did not affect the sales of wine in the period as researchers claim that wine drinkers are less likely to smoke.
“The big message is that some very good state tobacco policies have had public health implications that go beyond what was actually intended,” said study author Melissa Krauss, a senior statistical data analyst at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
“In situations when smokers are drinking alcohol, it tends to trigger cravings for a cigarette. Some people even tend to smoke only when they drink, but not at any other time.”