Self Control and Support for Anti Smoking Policies Among Smokers, Ex Smokers and Non Smokers

In this paper we sustain that non smokers who might be at risk of starting to smoke or relapsing can benefit from anti smoking policies such as tax hikes and smoking bans because these are mechanisms that enhance their self control with regard to tobacco consumption. We formalise this conjecture by proposing a model where starting/relapsing might result from time inconsistent preferences in a way that mirrors the inability of some smokers to carry out the decision to quit. We test the implications of this model using rich information on smoking behaviour from the Catalan Health Survey of 2006. The empirical results support our hypothesis and suggest that the welfare gains derived from the reinforcement of self control caused by tax hikes and smoking bans will accrue not only to smokers but also to the rest of the population.