Think anti-cigarette taxes and ads are ineffective? Think again!

Time for a bit of news from down under, way under—Australia to be exact. According to a study published this summer in the American Journal of Public Health, tobacco tax increases and sustained mass media public education have had a dramatic impact on adult smoking prevalence on the world’s smallest continent.

According to the report:

• An increase in the price of a single cigarette by 2.5 cents would result in 60,000-95,000 fewer smokers across the country
• Sustained televised anti-smoking ads on an average between four and eight times per month would have the same effect.
• Half of those adults who quit because of ads or taxes (36,000-47,500 people) would have died prematurely if they continued smoking

Authors highlight the importance of commitment and funding for successful reductions in smoking rates.

“A relatively small percentage change in the cost of a typical pack of cigarettes translates into measurable declines in prevalence,” said co-author Professor David Hill, director of Cancer Council Victoria.