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World No Tobacco Day 2026: Responding to the Growing Threat of Emerging Tobacco & Nicotine Products

On World No Tobacco Day 2026, Economics for Health joins with our tobacco control community to recognize the progress towards reducing tobacco use over the last several decades. Cigarette consumption, specifically, is on the decline in much of the world due to concerted efforts to deter smokers with both price and non-price measures. At t... Read More about World No Tobacco Day 2026: Responding to the Growing Threat of Emerging Tobacco & Nicotine Products

Lessons from Indiana: Raising Taxes on Tobacco to Reduce Consumption & Raise Revenues

With the rise in popularity of emerging tobacco and nicotine products, tax policy lags in many parts of the world, often allowing users to easily switch to cheaper alternatives. International best practices counsel that governments should raise taxes on all products to drive down initiation of any product and to decrease consumption acros... Read More about Lessons from Indiana: Raising Taxes on Tobacco to Reduce Consumption & Raise Revenues

Economics for Health Presents New Research on Illicit Tobacco, E-Cigarettes, and Cannabis Retail at SRNT 2026

Earlier this month, three team members from Economics for Health participated in Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco's (SRNT) 2026 Annual Meeting and presented their latest research on tobacco use, e-cigarettes, and cannabis. The studies examined how policies shape youth substance use and whether common assumptions about illicit... Read More about Economics for Health Presents New Research on Illicit Tobacco, E-Cigarettes, and Cannabis Retail at SRNT 2026
image for Press Release: Fourth Cigarette Tax Scorecard Shows Limited Progress, Substantial Opportunity for Governments

Press Release: Fourth Cigarette Tax Scorecard Shows Limited Progress, Substantial Opportunity for Governments

The fourth edition of the Economics for Health Cigarette Tax Scorecard (formerly released under “Tobacconomics”) is out today, December 15, 2025, and shows that most governments are not implementing best practices in tobacco taxation. Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of preventable death, and tobacco taxes remain the m... Read More about Press Release: Fourth Cigarette Tax Scorecard Shows Limited Progress, Substantial Opportunity for Governments
image for Do Cigarette Tax Hikes Increase the Illegal Market? Brazil's Data Says No

Do Cigarette Tax Hikes Increase the Illegal Market? Brazil's Data Says No

Increasing tobacco taxes is the single most effective and cost-effective tool to reduce smoking, reduce health care costs, and increase government excise tax revenues. Despite considerable evidence supporting higher tobacco excise taxes, policy makers–particularly in low- and middle-income countries–have been slow to adopt suc... Read More about Do Cigarette Tax Hikes Increase the Illegal Market? Brazil's Data Says No
image for Developments in the Western Balkans Signal Crucial Progress in Tobacco Control in the Region

Developments in the Western Balkans Signal Crucial Progress in Tobacco Control in the Region

Economics for Health began working with think tanks in the Western Balkans back in 2018, (under our previous name, “Tobacconomics”). Since then, we have explored the economics of tobacco control and especially tobacco taxes across the region and shared these results with decision makers and other stakeholders. As this evidence... Read More about Developments in the Western Balkans Signal Crucial Progress in Tobacco Control in the Region

Press Release: Leading Think Tank on Health Impacts of Fiscal Policies Rebrands as Economics for Health

The following is a statement by Dr. Jeffrey Drope, Director of Economics for Health. “Decades of data on global burden of disease and mortality are clear. Increasingly, preventable deaths around the world are being driven by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, lung disease, and heart disease, which now give rise to 74% of... Read More about Press Release: Leading Think Tank on Health Impacts of Fiscal Policies Rebrands as Economics for Health

Tobacco Control Community Unites to Protect Youth: World No Tobacco Day 2024

On World No Tobacco Day 2024, we are joining the tobacco control community and sounding warning bells about the concerning trends in youth smoking around the world. Surveys from around the world show that youth tobacco prevalence is either increasing or staying the same in nearly half of countries where recent data are available (learn mo... Read More about Tobacco Control Community Unites to Protect Youth: World No Tobacco Day 2024