Fatal toll of cheap cigarettes

Increases in average price between 2004 and 2014, which generally followed increases in tobacco taxes, were associated with 9,208 fewer infant deaths

A new study suggests that the availability of cheaper, off-brand cigarettes is associated with an increase in infant mortality.

Researchers writing in JAMA Pediatrics studied the link between cigarette prices and infant mortality in 23 European countries from 2004 through 2014. During this time, there were more than 53 million live births.

After controlling for other factors, they found that a $1.18 increase in average price per pack was associated with a decline of 0.23 deaths per 1,000 babies in the first year of life and 0.16 deaths per 1,000 babies in the second year.

But when a cheap enough