More would quit smoking if cost spiked

Student smokers would be more likely to quit the habit if the price for a pack topped $50, a study has shown. A survey of 2180 students from New Zealand’s eight universities found that if $15 was added to the price of a packet of cigarettes, 39 per cent would quit altogether and 19 per cent would switch to vaping. The research was carried out by University of Canterbury PhD researcher Ben Wamamili, who spoke to people who smoke at least once a month and asked if their attitude to smoking would charge if the cost of their regular cigarettes or rolling tobacco increased by $5, $10, $15, or more than $15. According to Stats NZ, the average price of a pack of 25 cigarettes in 2019 was $37.48. There are 500,000 smokers in New Zealand, with 12.5 per cent of adults smoking daily, down from 25 per cent in 1996. New Zealand aims to be smoke-free by 2025. Wamamili said his findings suggest increases of $15 or more per packet above the annual 10 per cent tobacco tax increases could lead to significant reductions.