From: Toronto Life
Sponsored by National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco
Smoking gun: Profits from illegal cigarettes are being used by gangs to fund weapons, drugs and other criminal activity on our streets.
Whether it’s a van parked in a neighbourhood street, a locker in a high school or the home of a mom down the block who knows someone who knows someone, the point of sale reveals little about the extent of the contraband tobacco trade in Ontario and the GTA, and the impact it has on the people of this province.
A surprising number of Ontarians have turned to the black market in search of tobacco. By some estimates, one in three cigarettes in the province is illegally sourced—no-name sticks sold in plastic bags, knock-offs in cartons or products intended for the U.S. market or First Nation reserves—selling for as little as $8 for 200 cigarettes. A 2014 study by the Ontario Convenience Store Association (OCSA), in which researchers collected and analyzed butts from 130 sites across the province, including hospitals, high schools, office buildings and other public locations, found that about 25 percent of the cigarettes being smoked were illegal (licensed tobacco manufacturers use identifiable paper), with rates in some Northern Ontario cities higher than 45 percent. Other surveys suggest an even higher incidence rate.
While some of the province’s 2.2 million smokers may be familiar with these products and their availability, the socio-economic and criminal sides of this underground industry have darker implications, affecting jobs, government coffers, attitudes toward the law and the influence organized crime has on the life of ordinary Ontarians.
It is estimated one in three cigarettes consumed in Ontario is illegal. Photo Credit: Toronto Star File Photos
