Cuba's elderly will no longer be entitled to state-subsidised cigarettes, the government has said.

古巴政府宣称，国内的老人将不再享受政府补贴的廉价香烟。

All Cubans 55 or older are allocated¹（分配，分派） four packs of cigarettes a month for about 25% the normal price, but this privilege（特权，优待） is being ended in September.

The measure is President Raul Castro's latest attempt to cut the communist state's spending.

The island has been hit hard by the global economic downturn and the long-term US trade embargo²（禁令，禁止） .

A statement in the government-run Granma newspaper said the move was "part of the steps gradually being applied³ to eliminate subsidies⁴（补贴，津贴） ". The health benefits were not mentioned.

Cigarettes "are not a primary necessity," it said.

Some elderly non-smokers were taking their cut-price cigarettes and re-selling them to boost their meagre（贫乏的） pensions, says the BBC's Michael Voss in Havana.

"I'm insulted because it's another thing they are taking away from us," said Angela Jimenez, a 64-year-old who receives a monthly pension of about $10 (£6.50).

She said she will now have to quit smoking because she won't be able to afford the normal price of about $0.33 a pack.

Cigarettes are the latest item to be removed from ration⁵ books（定量供给簿） . Subsidised peas and potatoes were eliminated in November.

Earlier in August Mr Castro said the role of the state would be reduced in some areas, to cut the "overloaded⁶" state budget.

He said more workers allowed to be self-employed or to set up small businesses.