The new prices for cigarette packs came into force on Thursday 23 January. The Customs and Monopolies Agency has published on its website the lists of the various products with the variation in costs to the public. Not all of them changed, but most saw an increase of 20 or 30 cents. For the most part it is a passage that costs more than 6 euros. These are increases of less than 5% compared to the previous price. The increases also concern cigars and shredded tobacco. The increases were established by the 2023 budget law, with changes in 2024. «29.30 euros per 1,000 cigarettes for the year 2024, and starting from the year 2025, of 29.50 euros per 1,000 cigarettes».
Costs around the world
One of the most used levers in the world to reduce smoking is increasing the price. A lever used in some countries of the world, but not in Italy. If in our country in 2021 a package cost around 6 euros and is now just above, in England 12 euros, in France 9 euros, in Romania 8, in Holland 6.90, in Poland and Germany 6.46. Only in Spain was the cost lower.
Taking a pack of 20 Malboro brand as a measurement, you can see the variation and above all who has chosen to raise prices to limit smoking. In euros, they range from over 27 in Australia to over 21 in New Zealand. There are 16 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, more than 13 in Canada, more than 12 in Norway. France exceeds 12 euros which is double that of Italy. Here are the prices in Europe.
The doubling hypothesis
Last October a proposal arrived: double the price of cigarettes to support healthcare. The Italian association of medical oncology asked for it. This is an increase of 5 euros per package, practically doubling the price, and would be equivalent to a revenue of 13.8 billion euros for the State.
Already in 2015, the Report on the global tobacco epidemic, drawn up by the World Health Organization, said that the tax intervention has the greatest impact on consumers.
Since 10 January 2005, the Sirchia law has dictated the rules on smoking in public places in Italy. It bears the name of the Minister of Health of the Berlusconi II government
Age limits
They have been proposed in some countries laws prohibiting the sale of cigarettes starting from a certain year onwards to create a generation that does not know smoking. Eliminate cigarettes for life from the age of 15 onwards followed by a progressive increase in age: only elderly people would remain smoking. Roberto Boffi, head of Pneumology at the Tumor Institute of Milan and director of the historic anti-smoking centre, explained to Future: «Let’s create a generation of non-smokers and then? Then we need everything else, we need education, prevention, we need people to know the harm of cigarettes but also of electronic cigarettes, which independent research shows have the ability to cause cancer like others. My colleagues also need to be more trained on this, so that the young pulmonologists who are now returning to our hospitals to specialize understand how important it is to prepare for prevention.” Above all, there needs to be prevention regarding all the ways in which tobacco arrives, not just traditional cigarettes.
What happened in Australia
Researchers from the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at Curtin University in Perth have been studying the habits of around 100,000 Australians since 2001 collected by the Australian National Drug Strategy Household. What did they discover? That the increase in cigarette prices has pushed an ever-increasing number of smokers over 50 to look for an alternative in cannabis.
Source: Vanity Fair

I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.