Although adult smoking rates are lower, there are still elevated rates of tobacco use for Native Americans, Alaska Native Americans, and members of the LGBTQ community. E-cigarette use among high-school students is still a big problem, with nearly 17 percent reporting ever trying them.

The FDA made some regulatory inroads, including supporting bans on menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, but progress is minimal. The American Lung Association urged the FDA to act more quickly, and on synthetic nicotine products in particular. The states did a better job, with more increasing appropriations for tobacco control than decreasing them. However, the researchers awarded grades to all the states, failing Alabama and Texas for retrenching and making little or no progress.

The model’s prediction aligns with some degree with the article's content, but not as much as the writer of the article would want to. The model predicts higher taxes should be reducing smoking rates by shifting (decreasing) supply, which aligns with the studies presented, but the article explains the lack of recent tax increases and government intervention hinders the prediction of the model to translate in real life. As for the demand, it also shifts left (decreases) because of the campaign and other efforts from the government to decrease the desire from people to smoke. This aligns because we are at an all-time low in terms of smokers, even if more actions are demanded to decrease it even more.

Overall, the model’s prediction aligns because it doesn’t specify exactly the changes in quantity and price. It gives a general direction in which in should be going, but there’s more drastic changes that are expected.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK236771/

• Public Goods and Externalities: Anti-tobacco initiatives are designed to mitigate the adverse externalities associated with smoking, including the health repercussions for non-smokers and the escalation of public healthcare costs. The article illustrates that strategies such as increasing taxes and imposing restrictions on tobacco sales are intended to alleviate these externalities.

• Tax Policy and Elasticity of Demand: The article emphasizes that raising taxes on tobacco products may lead to a decrease in smoking prevalence, particularly among younger demographics, underscoring the economic principle of price elasticity. Given that the demand for tobacco is relatively elastic among youth, an increase in price resulting from taxation could result in reduced consumption.

• Regulatory Economics: The actions taken by the FDA to restrict menthol and flavored tobacco products exemplify regulatory measures aimed at decreasing smoking rates among young individuals. This regulatory approach is consistent with the economic principle advocating for government intervention in markets where market failures are evident.

2) How the article ties into class economic principles

• Government Intervention in Market Failures: The article discusses the government's implementation of policies, taxes, and regulations designed to alleviate the social costs associated with smoking, which result in negative externalities such as heigh healthcare costs and exposure to secondhand smoke.

• Price Elasticity of Demand: Tobacco taxation, particularly effective among younger demographics, is based on the principle of elasticity. Given that younger consumers are generally more sensitive to price changes, increasing cigarette prices through taxation seeks to diminish demand within this group.

• Behavioral Economics: The suggested prohibitions on menthol and flavored tobacco products reflect the behavioral economics concept of choice. By rendering tobacco products less attractive, the government aims to "nudge" individuals, particularly younger users, away from smoking.

• Public Goods and Health as a Positive Externality: Anti-smoking initiatives serve the public good by fostering smoke-free environments and lowering health risks, which ultimately benefit society at large. These initiatives embody the notion that healthier populations enhance economic productivity.

• Opportunity Cost: Campaigns that encourage smoking cessation relate to the concept of opportunity cost by advocating for healthier alternatives. By opting not to smoke, individuals can redirect their financial resources toward other, more advantageous goods and services.

• Regulatory Economics: The FDA's role in overseeing tobacco products exemplifies regulatory economics, where government intervention is aimed at safeguarding consumers from harmful products.

Nicotine companies are also willing to combat the taxes through increased marketing. Imposing these taxes can result in nicotine companies trying harder to bring in new customers. These marketing strategies may bring in new users even with the tax in place. This conflict between the government and the nicotine companies can cause more unintended consequences within the market.