The Effect of E-Cigarette Taxes on Pre-Pregnancy and Prenatal Smoking

Abstract

E-cigarette taxes are an active area of legislation and have important regulatory implications by proxying e-cigarette accessibility. We examine the effect of e-cigarette taxes on pre-pregnancy and prenatal smoking using the near-universe of births to mothers conceiving between 2013 and 2019 in the United States. Using fixed effect regressions, we show that e-cigarette taxes increase pre-pregnancy and prenatal smoking. We also find evidence that e-cigarette taxes reduce pre-pregnancy and 3rd trimester e-cigarette use. Finally, we show that e-cigarette taxes increase news coverage of e-cigarettes and raise perceptions of risk of e-cigarettes.