How does the Excise Tax Affect Secondhand Smokers and the Health Consequences of such Addiction?

INTRODUCTION: Smoking and tobacco products are long-term tolerated and socially accepted in many societies. In some socioeconomic groups and regions, this is considered standard practice. One of the ways to limit not only direct but also secondary smoking is an increase in the tax burden and an effective antismoking campaign. Adults exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher chance of acquiring coronary heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer as they age. Secondhand smoking has significant negative effects on the cardiovascular system and has been related to coronary heart disease and stroke in individuals who are susceptible.

METHODS: The sources of data for this research were publicly available from the World Health Organization (WHO), Office on Smoking and Health, Global Information System on Alcohol and Health (GISAH), Center for Chronic Disease Prevention (CDC), Tax Foundation, and Eurostat. In the paper, selected scientific methods are used (analysis, synthesis, induction, and deduction). For the literature review, Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) were used.

RESULTS: Based on the information obtained, it can be proven that in countries with a higher tax burden, the consumption of cigarettes has decreased, but the consumption of alternative tobacco products has increased. Eliminating smoking is the only way to fully protect people from secondhand smoke exposure. The damage caused by passive smoking is possible to prevent. Eliminating smoking is the only way, which can to fully protect people from second-hand smoke, thus protecting lives and reducing the cost burden on the health sector.

CONCLUSIONS: In many countries, it was confirmed so that higher tax led to lower consumption of tobacco and cigarettes. With that spectacular tool as a tax, we also can confirm the positive impact on secondhand smokers. For example, we can use information from New Zealand, which earns from Scorecard, scoring 4.63 on a scale of 5 by decreasing using cigarettes because of the high tax level.