Guwahati, Feb. 11 -- Janet Hoek, University of Otago; Andrew Waa, University of Otago, and Richard Edwards, University of Otago

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello recently said she was concerned about the financial burden on people who smoke. She has requested advice on freezing the Consumers Price Index (CPI) adjustment applied annually to tobacco products, according to a leaked Ministry of Health document.

But is this really the best option to reduce the cost of smoking?

Costello's proposal attracted considerable criticism, not least because the rising price of tobacco is well established as the most effective tool currently used to reduce tobacco use.

An Ernst Young report commissioned by the Ministry of Health found:

The mi...