Editor’s Note: The Tobacco Control Act requires HHS/FDA to consider information concerning the countervailing effects of [a contemplated] the tobacco product standard….” CRE has long explained that all contraband cigarettes create countervailing effects by undermining tobacco control efforts. A new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) makes the same point. Specifically, the study concluded that “Access to contraband tobacco may therefore undermine public health efforts to reduce the use of tobacco at the population level.”
The complete text of the study, “Association between use of contraband tobacco and smoking cessation outcomes: a population-based cohort study” by Graham C. Mecredy et al is attached here.
From: CMAJ
Background: High tobacco prices, typically achieved through taxation, are an evidence based strategy to reduce tobacco use. However, the presence of inexpensive contraband tobacco could undermine this effective intervention by providing an accessible alternative to quitting. We assessed whether the use of contraband tobacco negatively affects smoking cessation outcomes.
Interpretation: Smoking contraband cigarettes was negatively associated with short-term smoking cessation. Access to contraband tobacco may therefore undermine public health efforts to reduce the use of tobacco at the population level.
