Adult tobacco use levels after intensive tobacco control measures: New York City, 2002-2003

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the impact of comprehensive tobacco control measures in New York City. METHODS: In 2002, New York City implemented a tobacco control strategy of (1) increased cigarette excise taxes; (2) legal action that made virtually all work-places, including bars and restaurants, smoke free; (3) increased cessation services, including a large-scale free nicotine-patch program; (4) education; and (5) evaluation. The health department also began annual surveys on a broad array of health measures, including smoking. RESULTS: From 2002 to 2003, smoking prevalence among New York City adults decreased by 11% (from 21.6% to 19.2%, approximately 140000 fewer smokers). Smoking declined among all age groups, race/ethnicities, and education levels; in both genders; among both US-born and foreign-born persons; and in all 5 boroughs. Increased taxation appeared to account for the largest proportion of the decrease; however, between 2002 and 2003 the proportion of cigarettes purchased outside New York City doubled, reducing the effective price increase by a third. CONCLUSIONS: Concerted local action can sharply reduce smoking prevalence. However, further progress will require national action, particularly to increase cigarette taxes, reduce cigarette tax evasion, expand education and cessation services, and limit tobacco marketing.     

The Intended and Unintended Consequences of a Legal Measure to Cut the Flow of Illegal Cigarettes Into New York City: The Case of the South Bronx

Objectives. We examined the impact of a change in New York tax law on the numbers of untaxed cigarettes bootlegged from Native American reservations and resold in the South Bronx.Methods. Discarded cigarette packs were systematically collected in 30 randomized South Bronx census tracks before and after the amended tax law went into effect in 2011. Also, administrative data were gathered on the number of taxed cigarettes sold in New York State, including sales to Native American reservations.Results. Before the tax amendment, 42% of discarded cigarette packs collected in the South Bronx had no tax stamp. After the tax law went into effect, the percentage of cigarette packs without tax stamps declined to 6.2%. Simultaneously, the percentage of packs with out-of-state tax stamps rose from 18.3% to 66.3%. The percentage of packs with a combined New York State and New York City tax stamp did not change after the tax amendment.Conclusions. After the tax amendment, the supply of contraband cigarettes appears to have quickly shifted from one lower-priced jurisdiction to another without a change in the overall prevalence of contraband cigarettes.In June 2010, as part of an emergency budget measure, New York State raised its cigarette tax from $2.75 to $4.35 per pack and, in an effort to prevent smokers from circumventing state cigarette taxes, amended its tax law so that Native American reservations would no longer be able to sell untaxed cigarettes to non–tribal members. Since the 1980s, Native American reservations within New York State have imported billions of premium brand cigarettes, reselling them directly to smokers or to bootleggers who in turn supplied a thriving black market, particularly in New York City. This constituted a considerable challenge to smoking cessation policies that relied on high cigarette taxes as an economic disincentive for smokers. After a legal battle between several Native American tribes and the governor of New York, the tax amendment went into effect in June 2011.Our goal was to assess the effects of this tax amendment on the illegal cigarette market in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in New York City, taking the South Bronx as an example. Specifically, we examined whether the measure has been successful in cutting off the supply of untaxed cigarettes from Native American reservations and whether it resulted in a reduction in the overall prevalence of illegal cigarettes, thus preventing a displacement to other sources of illegal cigarettes in response to increased cigarette taxes.     

The Impact of Cigarette Excise Tax Increases on Purchasing Behaviors Among New York City Smokers

Objectives. We examined the relationship between cigarette excise tax increases and tax-avoidant purchasing behaviors among New York City adult smokers.Methods. We analyzed data from the city’s annual Community Health Survey to assess changes in rates of tax avoidance over time (2003–2010) and smokers’ responses to the 2008 state cigarette tax increase. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified correlates of buying more cigarettes on the street in response to the increase.Results. After the 2002 tax increase, the percentage of smokers engaged in tax-avoidant behavior decreased with time from 30% in 2003 to 13% in 2007. Following the 2008 tax increase, 21% of smokers reported buying more cigarettes from another person on the street. Low-income, younger, Black, and Hispanic smokers were more likely than respondents with other sociodemographic characteristics to purchase more cigarettes on the street.Conclusions. To maximize public health impact, cigarette tax increases should be paired with efforts to limit the flow of untaxed cigarettes entering jurisdictions with high cigarette pack prices.Increasing taxation on cigarettes is among the most effective ways to prevent and reduce smoking.1 Higher taxes are associated with lower cigarette consumption and higher rates of quit attempts,2–4 particularly among low-income and younger smokers5 and among racial/ethnic minorities.6–8 However, high cigarette prices also lead to increased tax-avoidant behaviors among smokers,9,10 limiting the effectiveness of taxes in reducing tobacco use.11,12 In response to tax hikes, smokers may seek untaxed sources of cigarettes in other jurisdictions, on the Internet, or from Native American reservations.13–18 The availability of untaxed cigarettes from illegal vendors, such as individuals selling cigarettes on the street, allows tax-avoidant smokers to continue to smoke more cigarettes at a lower price4,10,19; thus, trafficking of black market cigarettes across state or international lines into areas with high taxes is of particular concern.10,18,20We sought to better understand tax-avoidant behaviors in New York City, where city, state, and federal tax increases over the past decade have resulted in the highest cigarette pack price in the nation. In 2002, combined city and state tax increases raised the price of cigarettes by $1.81; in 2008, a state tax further increased the per-pack price by $1.25. We examined trends in tax-avoidant cigarette purchasing behaviors among adult smokers in the city between 2003 and 2010. We then assessed characteristics of smokers and the prevalence of tax avoidance among smokers in 2008. We also explored the impact of the 2008 tax increase on smoking behaviors. Finally, we used multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify correlates of buying more cigarettes on the street following the 2008 tax increase.     

Tobacco use behaviors and household smoking bans among Chinese Americans

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between household smoking restrictions and smoking patterns among Chinese American adults. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional analysis based on a National Institutes of Health-funded population-based household and telephone survey of 2537 Chinese American adults. SETTING: Two communities in New York City. SUBJECTS: The analyses focused on male current smokers (N = 600). MEASURES: Demographic characteristics, smoking status, household smoking restrictions, cigarettes smoked per day, and past quit attempts were based on self-reported data. RESULTS: Among current smokers, 37% reported living in a home with a complete smoking ban. Smokers with a full household smoking ban smoked fewer cigarettes on weekdays and weekends than smokers with no household smoking ban (p < or = .05) and were 3.4 times (p < .01) more likely to report having at least one quit attempt in the past 12 months. Smokers with knowledge of the dangers of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure were 2.8 times (p < or = .01) more likely to have at least one quit attempt in the last 12 months compared with those who were unaware of the danger of ETS and more likely to live in a smoke-free household. CONCLUSIONS: Smoke-free home policies and interventions to raise awareness among smokers of the dangers of ETS have the potential to significantly reduce tobacco use and exposure to household ETS among this immigrant population.     

Cigarette tax avoidance and evasion

Variation in state cigarette taxes provides incentives for tax avoidance through smuggling, legal border crossing to low tax jurisdictions, or Internet purchasing. When taxes rise, tax paid sales of cigarettes will decline both because consumption will decrease and because tax avoidance will increase. The key innovation of this paper is to compare cigarette sales data to cigarette consumption data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). I show that after subtracting percent changes in consumption, residual percent changes in sales are associated with state cigarette tax changes implying the existence of tax avoidance. I estimate that the tax avoidance response to tax changes is at least twice the consumption response and that tax avoidance accounted for up to 9.6% of sales between 1985 and 2001. Because of the increase in tax avoidance, tax paid sales data understate the level of smoking and overstate the drop in smoking. I also find that the level of legal border crossing was very low relative to other forms of tax avoidance. If states have strong preferences for smoking control, they must pair high cigarette taxes with effective policies to curb smuggling and other forms of tax avoidance or employ alternative policies such as counter-advertising and smoking restrictions.     

Effect of a large increase in cigarette tax on cigarette consumption: an empirical analysis of cross-sectional survey data

OBJECTIVES: This study used cigarette price elasticity estimates to assess the possible effects on cigarette consumption of a large increase in cigarette tax. It also investigated different responses to the cigarette tax increase among smokers from different socio-economic backgrounds and with different smoking characteristics. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study on 483 valid questionnaires completed during a telephone survey of current smokers aged 15 years and above from all 23 major cities and counties in Taiwan. METHODS: This study analysed the willingness of current smokers to quit smoking or reduce cigarette consumption when faced with a tax increase of NT$22 per pack, which would raise the price of cigarettes by 44%. The Tobit regression model and the maximum likelihood method were used to estimate cigarette demand elasticity. RESULTS: Estimation results yielded a cigarette price elasticity of -0.29 in connection with a 44% increase in the price of cigarettes. This suggests that smokers will have relatively little response to such an event. The most significant response to the price increase was found among women, low-income smokers, moderately addicted smokers, and smokers who regularly purchase low-price cigarettes. A 44% increase in the price of cigarettes would reduce the average annual per capita cigarette consumption in Taiwan by 14.86 packs; a reduction of 12.87%. The tax increase would also boost the Government's cigarette tax revenue by approximately NT$41.4 billion, and increase cigarette merchants' income by approximately NT$27.4 billion. CONCLUSIONS: Since current cigarette prices are low in Taiwan and smokers are relatively insensitive to cigarette price hikes, a large increase in cigarette tax would reduce cigarette consumption effectively, and would also increase the Government's cigarette tax revenue and cigarette merchants' income. Clearly, such a tax would create a win-win outcome for the Government, cigarette merchants and smokers, and it is therefore recommended.     

Use of pharmacy data to evaluate smoking regulations' impact on sales of nicotine replacement therapies in New York City

OBJECTIVES: Recently, New York City and New York State increased cigarette excise taxes and New York City implemented a smoke-free workplace law. To assess the impact of these policies on smoking cessation in New York City, we examined over-the-counter sales of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products. METHODS: Pharmacy sales data were collected in real time as part of nontraditional surveillance activities. We used Poisson generalized estimating equations to analyze the effect of smoking-related policies on pharmacy-specific weekly sales of nicotine patches and gum. We assessed effect modification by pharmacy location. RESULTS: We observed increases in NRT product sales during the weeks of the cigarette tax increases and the smoke-free workplace law. Pharmacies in low-income areas generally had larger and more persistent increases in response to tax increases than those in higher-income areas. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time monitoring of existing nontraditional surveillance data, such as pharmacy sales of NRT products, can help assess the effects of public policies on cessation attempts. Cigarette tax increases and smoke-free workplace regulations were associated with increased smoking cessation attempts in New York City, particularly in low-income areas.     

Cigarette purchasing behaviour in Thailand and Malaysia: Comparative analysis of a semi-monopolistic and a free-market structure

Abstract

A wide range of cigarette prices can undermine the impact of tobacco tax policy when smokers switch to cheaper cigarettes instead of quitting. In order to better understand this behaviour, we study socio-economic determinants of price/brand choices in two different markets: a semi-monopolistic market in Thailand and a competitive market in Malaysia. The hypothesis that the factors affecting the price/brand choice are different in these two markets is analysed by employing a 2005 survey among smokers. This survey provides a unique perspective on market characteristics usually described only in business reports by the tobacco industry.

We found that smokers in Thailand have fewer opportunities to trade down to save money on cigarettes, but pay lower prices than smokers in Malaysia, despite Thailand's higher tax rate. The Malaysian market, on the other hand, offers many possibilities to shop around for cheaper cigarettes. Higher income and education increase the price paid per cigarette in both countries, but the impact of these factors is larger in Malaysia. This has implications for sensitivity to cigarette prices. Using tax policy alone should be a more effective tobacco control measure in Thailand as compared to Malaysia. The effectiveness of a tax increase in Malaysia can be improved by adding programmes focusing on smoking cessation among low-income/low-educated smokers.     

Smokers' Strategic Responses to Sin Taxes: Evidence from Panel Data in Thailand

In addition to quitting and cutting consumption, smokers faced with higher cigarette prices may compensate in several ways that mute the health impact of cigarette taxes. This study examines three price avoidance strategies among adult male smokers in Thailand: trading down to a lower‐priced brand, buying individual sticks of cigarettes instead of packs, and substituting roll‐your‐own tobacco for factory‐manufactured cigarettes. Using two panels of microlevel data from the International Tobacco Control Southeast Asia Study, collected in 2005 and 2006, we estimate the effects of a substantial excise tax increase implemented throughout Thailand in December 2005. We present estimates of the marginal effects and price elasticities for each of five consumer behaviors. We find that, controlling for baseline smoking characteristics, sociodemographics, and policy variables, quitting is highly sensitive to changes in cigarette prices, but so are brand choice, stick‐buying, and use of roll‐your‐own tobacco. Neglecting such strategic responses leads to overestimates of a sin tax's health impact, and neglecting product substitution distorts estimates of the price elasticity of cigarette demand. We discuss the implications for consumer welfare and several policies that mitigate the adverse impact of consumer responses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Smokers' beliefs and attitudes about purchasing cigarettes on the Internet

OBJECTIVES: Our objectives were to explore qualitatively how smokers find out about Internet cigarette sales and what factors motivate them to purchase cigarettes on-line, and to quantitatively describe the Internet cigarette purchasing behaviors and attitudes of Internet cigarette buyers. METHODS: Qualitative in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with 21 adult smokers who had purchased or contemplated purchasing cigarettes online. Findings from the qualitative study were used to develop a survey module on Internet cigarette purchasing behavior that was administered to 187 New Jersey adult smokers. RESULTS: Smokers who purchased cigarettes on-line were primarily motivated by lower prices, which occur because Internet vendors generally sell cigarettes without paying excise taxes for the destination state. Most Internet cigarette buyers first learned about on-line cigarette sales from interpersonal sources who had purchased on-line. New Jersey adult smokers who purchased cheaper cigarettes from the Internet and other lower-taxed sources significantly increased their consumption over time, compared to smokers who reported paying full-price at traditional bricks-and-mortar retail stores. CONCLUSIONS: Policies that have the effect of equalizing Internet cigarette prices with those at retail stores will likely deter smokers from purchasing cigarettes on-line. Internet cigarette vendors should be required to comply with the same provisions that apply to bricks-and-mortar retail vendors and charge appropriate state and local cigarette excise taxes. In the absence of such policies, the sales of cheaper, tax-free cigarettes on-line will undermine the public health benefit of raising cigarette prices.     

Sustainable funding of health initiatives in Wonju, Republic of Korea via a tobacco consumption tax

Wonju is the first municipality in the Republic of Korea to fund the Healthy City project through municipal revenues from the local tobacco consumption tax. We investigated the process of the local tobacco consumption tax being approved as the main source of financing for the local Healthy City project. We also examined the sustainability and sufficiency of the funding by looking at the pricing policies instituted for cigarettes, smoking prevalence, cigarette consumption and revenues from local tobacco consumption as well as the budgetary allocations among programs in the city. The strong initiative of the mayor of Wonju was one of the factors that enabled the earmarking of the local tobacco consumption tax for the Healthy City Wonju project. He consulted academic counselors and persuaded the municipal government and the City Council to approve the bill. Despite the increasing price of cigarettes in Korea, adequate funding can be sustained to cover the short-term and mid-term programs in Wonju for at least 5 years of the mayor's term, because the smoking rate is persistently high. Analyzing the effects of strong leadership on the part of local authorities and the balance between revenues from the tobacco tax and the prevalence of smoking in the face of anti-smoking policies would be helpful for other countries and communities interested in developing sustainable Healthy Cities projects.     

Socio-economic variation in price minimizing behaviors: findings from the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Four Country Survey

This paper examines how socio-economic status (SES) modifies how smokers adjust to changes in the price of tobacco products through utilization of multiple price minimizing techniques. Data come from the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Four Country Survey, nationally representative samples of adult smokers and includes respondents from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. Cross-sectional analyses were completed among 8,243 respondents (7,038 current smokers) from the survey wave conducted between October 2006 and February 2007. Analyses examined predictors of purchasing from low/untaxed sources, using discount cigarettes or roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco, purchasing cigarettes in cartons, and engaging in high levels of price and tax avoidance at last purchase. All analyses tested for interactions with SES and were weighted to account for changing and under-represented demographics. Relatively high levels of price and tax avoidance behaviors were present; 8% reported buying from low or untaxed source; 36% used discount or generic brands, 13.5% used RYO tobacco, 29% reported purchasing cartons, and 63% reported using at least one of these high price avoidance behaviors. Respondents categorized as having low SES were approximately 26% less likely to report using low or untaxed sources and 43% less likely to purchase tobacco by the carton. However, respondents with low SES were 85% more likely to report using discount brands/RYO compared to participants with higher SES. Overall, lower SES smokers were 25% more likely to engage in at least one or more tax avoidance behaviors compared to their higher SES counterparts. Price and tax avoidance behaviors are relatively common among smokers of all SES strata, but strategies differed with higher SES groups more likely to report traveling to a low-tax location to avoid paying higher prices, purchase duty free tobacco, and purchase by cartons instead of packs all of which were less commonly reported by low SES smokers. Because of the strategies lower SES respondents are more likely to use, reducing price differentials between discount and premium brands may have a greater impact on them, potentially increasing the likelihood of quitting.     

Internet cigarette purchasing among 9th grade students in western New York: 2000-2001 vs. 2004-2005

OBJECTIVE: To assess trends and correlates of youth cigarette purchasing behavior on the Internet. METHODS: In 2000-2001, Roswell Park Cancer Institute conducted a survey asking 7,019 ninth grade students in Erie and Niagara Counties in New York State about their tobacco use and purchasing habits, including use of the Internet to buy cigarettes. The 2004-2005 survey is a replication of the 2000-2001 survey. Both surveys used an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire survey. These data were combined in order to examine trends in youth smoking behavior. RESULTS: Students surveyed in 2004-2005 were 2.6 times more likely (95% CI: 1.5, 4.6) to have purchased cigarettes over the Internet in the 30 days prior to the survey than those surveyed in 2001 (5.2% to 1.6%); however, the intention to use the Internet as a cigarette source in the future did not change between survey periods. CONCLUSION: Youth online cigarette purchasing has increased but intention to use the Internet to purchase cigarettes in the future has remained the same, suggesting that this trend may be reaching a plateau. Recent public efforts to reduce online cigarette sales will need to be evaluated in order to determine which policy or combination of policies are most effective.     

A review of the impacts of tobacco industry privatisation: Implications for policy

State-owned tobacco companies, which still account for 40% of global cigarette production, face continued pressure from, among others, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to be privatised. This review of available literature on tobacco industry privatisation suggests that any economic benefits of privatisation may be lower than supposed, because private owners avoid competitive tenders (thus underpaying for assets), negotiate lengthy tax holidays and are complicit in the smuggling of cigarettes to avoid import and excise duties. It outlines how privatisation leads to increased marketing, more effective distribution and lower prices, creating additional demand for cigarettes among new and existing smokers, leading to increased cigarette consumption, higher smoking prevalence and lower age of smoking initiation. Privatisation also weakens tobacco control because private owners, in their drive for profits, lobby aggressively against effective policies and ignore or overturn existing policies. This evidence suggests that further tobacco industry privatisation is likely to increase smoking and that instead of transferring assets from state to private ownership, alternative models of supply should be explored.     

Caribbean pleasure industry: Tourism,sexuality and AIDS in the Dominican Republic

State-owned tobacco companies, which still account for 40% of global cigarette production, face continued pressure from, among others, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to be privatised. This review of available literature on tobacco industry privatisation suggests that any economic benefits of privatisation may be lower than supposed, because private owners avoid competitive tenders (thus underpaying for assets), negotiate lengthy tax holidays and are complicit in the smuggling of cigarettes to avoid import and excise duties. It outlines how privatisation leads to increased marketing, more effective distribution and lower prices, creating additional demand for cigarettes among new and existing smokers, leading to increased cigarette consumption, higher smoking prevalence and lower age of smoking initiation. Privatisation also weakens tobacco control because private owners, in their drive for profits, lobby aggressively against effective policies and ignore or overturn existing policies.

This evidence suggests that further tobacco industry privatisation is likely to increase smoking and that instead of transferring assets from state to private ownership, alternative models of supply should be explored.     

Smoking practices in New York City: The use of a population-based survey to guide policy-making and programming

To inform New York City’s (NYC’s) tobacco control program, we identified the neighborhoods with the highest smoking rates, estimated the burden of second-band smoke exposure, assessed the early response to state taxation, and examined cessation practices. We used a stratified random design to conduct a digit-dialed telephone survey in 2002 among 9,674 New York City adults. Our main outcome measures included prevalence of cigarette smoking, exposure to second-hand smoke, the response of smokers to state tax increases, and cessation practices. Even after controlling for sociodemographic factors (age, racelethnicity, income, education, marital status, employment status, and foreign-born status) smoking rates were highest in Central Harlem and in the South Bronx. Sixteen percent of nonsmokers reported frequent exposure to second-hand smoke at home or in a workplace. Among smokers with a child with asthma, only 33% reported having a no-smoking policy in their homes. More than one fifth of smokers reported reducing the number of cigarettes they smoked in response to the state tax increase. Of current smokers who tried to quit, 65% used no cessation aid. These data were used to inform New York City’s smoke-free legislation, taxation, public education, and a free nicotine patch give-away program. In conclusion, large, local surveys can provide essential data to effectively advocate for, plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive tobacco control program. Dr. Mostashari (the guarantor) made substantial contributions to the conception, design, and supervision of this paper, the analysis and interpretation of data, the drafting of the paper, critical revisions of the paper for important intellectual content, and the acquisition of data and funding for this research. Dr. Kerker made substantial contributions to the analysis and interpretation of data, the drafting of the paper and critical revisions of the paper for important intellectual content. Ms. Hajat made substantial contributions to the acquisition of data and critical revisions of the paper for important intellectual content. Dr. Miller made substantial contributions to the conception of this paper and critical revisions of the paper for important intellectual content. Dr. Frieden made substantial contributions to the conception, design, and supervision of this paper and critical revisions of the paper for important intellectual content.     

控烟政策背景下北京市卷烟价格、可负担性及价格对卷烟需求的影响

目的 本研究旨在分析控烟政策背景下北京市2004—2017年卷烟价格、烟草可负担性及卷烟需求价格弹性系数,为控烟政策发展提供参考。方法 从《北京烟草年鉴》获取北京市卷烟销量、北京市卷烟单箱销售额数据,从《北京市统计年鉴》获取人口、收入、卷烟价格指数、居民消费价格指数。采用卷烟零售价格指数调整卷烟价格,描述各年份卷烟价格变化,使用购买100包卷烟所需的花费占收入的比重计算烟草可负担性。使用对数线性回归模型估算卷烟价格需求弹性系数。结果 北京市卷烟名义价格和实际价格在2004—2017年间基本保持上涨,购买100包卷烟的花费占收入的比重整体呈下降趋势,烟草可负担性在近年来在提高。卷烟价格弹性系数为- 0.42,表明价格每上涨10%,卷烟销量下降4.2%（t = - 17.015, P＜0.001）。结论 北京市落实烟税改革状况较好,尽管卷烟价格上升,卷烟可负担性近年来却在提高。提高烟税需要达到一定比例,才可以降低卷烟可负担性,实现控制烟草消费的目的。非价格措施如公共场所全面禁烟也应得到推广。     

A longitudinal assessment of the impact of smoke-free worksite policies on tobacco use

OBJECTIVES: In this cohort study, we assessed the impact of smoke-free work-site policies on smoking cessation behaviors. METHODS: Smokers were tracked as part of the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation. Telephone surveys were administered to 1967 employed smokers in 1993 and 2001. Data were gathered on personal and demographic characteristics, tobacco use behaviors, and restrictiveness of worksite smoking policies. RESULTS: People who worked in environments that changed to or maintained smoke-free policies between 1993 and 2001 were 1.9 times more likely (odds ratio [OR] = 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11, 3.32) than people whose worksites did not do so to have stopped smoking by 2001. Continuing smokers decreased their average daily consumption by 2.57 cigarettes. People working in environments that had smoke-free policies in place in both 1993 and 2001 were 2.3 times more likely (OR=2.29; 95% CI=1.08, 4.45) than people not working in such environments to have quit by 2001, and continuing smokers reported a decline in average daily consumption of 3.85 cigarettes. CONCLUSIONS: Smoke-free worksite policies help employees reduce their cigarette consumption and stop smoking.