Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/196729 
Year of Publication: 
2019
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 12231
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We evaluate one of the most prevalent prohibitory policies: banning the sales of tobacco to teens. We exploit the staggered introduction of sales bans across Switzerland and the European Union from 1990 to 2016. The estimates indicate a less than 1 percentage point reduction in teen smoking because of the bans. The reduction is substantially lower than the 5 percentage point reduction expected by health officials. We examine additional outcomes relevant to assessing any prohibitory policy. We find that teens circumvent the bans through peers. Moreover, they consider smokers less cool but do not think smoking is more dangerous.
Subjects: 
prohibition
tobacco sales bans
youth smoking
attitudes toward smoking
tobacco prevention
JEL: 
D12
I12
I18
K42
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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