SMOKING BY ADOLESCENTS - 3 YEARS LATER, THERES EVEN LARGER REVENUE BUT LITTLE FOR PREVENTION

This research aimed to determine whether, between 1990 and 1993, there were any changes in the government revenue gained from sale of cigare ttes to miners and the proportion of this revenue spent on attempting to prevent the uptake of this habit by adolescents. The methodology is consistent with the 1990 study, although some revisions have been nec essary. From our analysis, it is estimated that state revenue from und er-age smoking increased 97% from $9.37 million in 1990 to $18.45 mill ion in 1993. State expenditure on antismoking campaigns (for the entir e population) increased 24% from $9.47 million in 1990 to an estimated $11.75 million in 1993. When this expenditure is converted to a relat ive amount, relative state expenditure per under-age smoker fell an es timated 10%, from $4.40 in 1990 to $3.98 in 1993. This is equivalent t o approximately 7.7% and 5.1%, in 1990 and 1993 respectively, of state revenue from cigarette smoking by those under the legal purchase age being spent on discouraging adolescents from taking up this habit. The se results suggest a growing inequity in the expenditure on anti-smoki ng activities compared to revenues received from sales to miners.