Is roll-your-own tobacco substitute for manufactured cigarettes: evidence from Ireland?

BACKGROUND: When tax policies increase tobacco prices some smokers may switch to smoking cheaper roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco. To reduce the harm from smoking, this substitution effect should be avoided. This study analyses whether RYO tobacco is a substitute for manufactured cigarettes (MCs) in Ireland, a country with relatively high price for both products. METHODS: Data on duty-paid consumption of RYO tobacco from 1978 to 2011 are used to estimate the demand by applying seemingly unrelated regression and error correction models. Covariates include prices of tobacco in Ireland and in the UK, income and a variable describing tobacco-related health policies. RESULTS: We failed to find evidence of RYO tobacco being a substitute for MC due to price differences. However, an increase in incomes (1%) is associated with a reduction in the consumption of RYO tobacco (-0.4%), which can be due to substitution towards MCs in addition to quitting or cutting back. Also, an increase in the price of RYO tobacco (1%) is associated with a reduction in its consumption (-1%). CONCLUSIONS: Increasing prices via taxation is an effective way of reducing the consumption of RYO tobacco but due to associations between RYO tobacco smoking and lower incomes, these policies should be accompanied by measures aimed at helping smokers to quit.

A review of the metrics for One Health benefits.

One Health as a concept has been with us for many years, yet it is only recently that it is actively being discussed as a way of mitigating risks in society. Initiatives in the use of this concept require methods to monitor the benefits gained from an holistic approach to health, yet there is an absence of adequate frameworks to measure One Health benefits. This paper explores the problem with a review of the available literature and an examination of methods used. It concludes that most published work on One Health describes how this concept is valuable without trying to estimate the size of benefit or type of value. A framework for measuring the advantages of a One Health approach is needed and, through the process of an international workshop and the development of a One Health business case, the authors are working towards its development.