Reprinted from the book Reframing Health Behavior Change with Behavioral Economics, edited by Bickel WK and Vuchinich RE, with permission from Lawrence Erlbaum and Associated, Inc. Economics and Anti-Health Behavior: The Economic Analysis of Substance Use and Abuse by Frank Chaloupka Rosalie Liccardo Pacula ABSTRACT This chapter examines the impact of prices and public policies on the demands for tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, and on related outcomes, by applying economic principles to the analysis of substance use and abuse. Findings from other studies conducted by Frank J. Chaloupka, Rosalie Liccardo Pacula, and colleagues are reviewed, and demonstrate that even in the case of addictive commodities, the law of demand applies - individuals will consume less of a good as its price rises. PDF (1.25 MB) Back to Top