The Influence Of Smoking In Canada

In Canada, the average cigarette consumption among daily smokers had dropped from 15 cigarettes per day (GPD) in 2012 to 13.9 GPD in 2013. From 1999 to 2013, cigarette consumption has declined significantly, by more than 3 cigarettes per day. And the yearly consumption during this time period kept decreasing by 1.3% averagely (Propel, 2015). According to the statistics conducted in 2013, “average daily cigarette consumption was 15.2 for male smokers and 12.5 for female smokers, which was a statistically significant difference” (Propel, 2015, p18). Between 2012 and 2013 consumption declined greatly among males but not females. Furthermore, as Li, Robson, Ashbury, Hatcher and Bryant stated that smoking has been widely reported to be more prevalent in the lower socio-economic classes and among Canadian-born people as compared to Canadian immigrants (2009). Additionally, although tobacco is considered as an inferior good whose elasticity is low, smokers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive as there are more and more new cigarette products that have been introduced into the market, thus consumers may seek ways to purchase less expensive cigarettes, particularly as tobacco taxes increase the overall price of cigarettes.