What are some specific actions that the government has taken to try to curb the use of tobacco products?

Answer 1

Most public health scholars believe that this change has been accelerated by public policy interventions to reduce tobacco use. The research literature suggests that the most potent demand reducing influences on tobacco use have been efforts to increase the financial cost of using tobacco products primarily through taxation, smoke-free policies, comprehensive advertising bans, and paid counter-advertising campaigns. New therapies for treating nicotine dependence and measures to liberalize access to medicinal forms of nicotine have the potential to revolutionize the way societies address the problem of tobacco use in the future. Unfortunately, the economic reality of the tobacco business has hindered public health efforts to curb the use of tobacco products. While government regulation of tobacco products is a worthy goal, capitalism, and not government regulation, most likely holds the greatest potential to rapidly alter the worldwide epidemic of tobacco caused disease. It is up to the public health community to harness the powers of capitalism to speed the development of less dangerous alternatives to the conventional cigarette.