Presence of Counterfeit Marlboro Gold Packs in Licensed Retail Stores in New York City: Evidence From Test Purchases

Kurti, Marin; He, Yi; Silver, Diana; Giorgio, Margaret; Lampe, Klaus von; Macinko, James; Hua, Ye; Tan, Fidelis; Mei, Victoria

doi:10.1093/ntr/nty096

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Almost a third of counterfeit identifiers are located on the pack blank (30.9%) including poor print quality (offset printing), improper colour and font and UV fluorescence. This finding is in line with previous studies that have relied on the pack blank to verify authenticity 11 12…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Categorising characteristics of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes: a systematic review of tobacco industry documents

Kurti

Lampe

et al. 2019

Tob Control

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BackgroundThere is scant research on methods used to identify counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes.MethodsSystematic analysis of internal tobacco industry documents characteristics of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes.ResultsIn the industry documents we identified as relevant, there were 42 characteristics of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes. Overall, physical characteristics (88.1%) were the most commonly identified features across all locations, with the pack blank, cardboard shell of the cigarette pack, as the dominant site (30.9%). Some of the physical characteristics included offset lithography printing, incorrect font and colour. Overall, light microscopy was identified as the main method of forensic analysis for detecting counterfeits.ConclusionIndependent researchers employing litter pack and pack swap surveys are encouraged to use the characteristics identified in the study to gauge the prevalence of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes and compare against industry estimates.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Categorising characteristics of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes: a systematic review of tobacco industry documents

Kurti

Lampe

et al. 2019

Tob Control

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“…Genuine Marlboro Gold (formerly known as Marlboro Light) cigarette packs were purchased at asking price from licensed tobacco retailers in New York City in 2014-2015. The authenticity of these packs was verified through forensic examination of the tax stamp fixed at the bottom of the package and other packaging characteristics (23). The known counterfeit cigarettes were provided by ATF from different seizures in the United States.…”

Section: Cigarette Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Counterfeit Cigarettes Using Environmental Pollen Analysis: An Improved Procedure*

Chan

Robinson

Liu³

et al. 2020

Journal of Forensic Sciences

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Traditional pollen preparation techniques provide clear residues for pollen identification; however, such methods are time-consuming, requiring repeated centrifugation, heating, and digestion with high-concentration hazardous chemicals. Tobacco leaves can effectively trap environmental pollen due to hairy surface and terpene-rich exudates. A new tobacco sample processing method was developed by using different extraction chemistry with surfactant. Marlboro Gold cigarettes were employed as model samples for method development. Parameters critical for pollen extraction, which include number of cigarette sticks used, extraction solution, and extraction temperature, were optimized. By using 1% dishwashing detergent to treat three cigarettes at room temperature, the improved method was able to recover sufficient pollen for microscopic analysis in three repeated centrifuge-washing steps and omit hazardous chemicals involved in traditional methods. We focused on the pollen of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), a plant native to North America, as an indicator to differentiate genuine and counterfeit U.S. brand cigarettes. Results from analyzing randomly purchased genuine (authenticated by forensic examination) and known counterfeit Marlboro Gold provided by law enforcement revealed that a significant amount (39%) of Ambrosia were consistently present in all genuine samples, while counterfeit contained none or only trace count. Similar results were found in other counterfeit U.S. brand cigarettes (all seized in the U.S.) involved in this study as well. Lack of Ambrosia in cigarette strongly indicates the product was not originated in the United States.

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“…On the other hand, some studies have analyzed the impact on the illicit trade of plain tobacco packaging [12][13] . Finally, there are some studies that have carried out a kind of EPSs parallel to the one commissioned by the TTCs to verify its veracity [14][15] .…”

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confidence: 99%

Measuring anomalies in cigarette sales using official data from Spanish provinces: Are the anomalies detected by the Empty Pack Surveys (EPSs) used by Transnational Tobacco Companies (TTCs) the only anomalies?

Cadahia¹,

Golpe²,

Álvarez³

et al. 2021

Tob. Induc. Dis.

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INTRODUCTION There is a literature that questions the veracity of the studies commissioned by transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) to measure the illicit tobacco trade. Furthermore, there are studies that have indicated that the empty pack surveys (EPSs) ordered by TTCs overestimate the size of this trade. This study simultaneously analyzed whether the EPSs established in each of the 47 Spanish provinces were accurate and measured anomalies observed in provinces where sales exceed expected values. METHODS To achieve the objectives of this study, provincial data on cigarette sales, prices and GDP per capita were used. These data were modeled with machine learning techniques that are widely used to detect anomalies in other areas. RESULTS The magnitude of the average anomaly in provinces where sales are higher than their expected values exceeds 40%, while the average anomaly in provinces where sales are lower than their expected values (as detected by the EPSs) is <15%. Furthermore, the results reveal that there is a clear geographical pattern to the provinces in which sales below reasonable values are observed. In addition, the values provided by the EPSs in Spain, as indicated in the previous literature, are slightly overestimated. Finally, some regions bordering other countries or that are highly influenced by tourism have observed sales that are higher than their expected values. CONCLUSIONS Cooperation between countries in their tobacco control policies can have better effects than policies developed based on information from a single country. The lack of control over the transactions of tourists and the inhabitants of bordering countries can cause important anomalies that distort the understanding of tobacco consumption that governments have based on official data.

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Presence of Counterfeit Marlboro Gold Packs in Licensed Retail Stores in New York City: Evidence From Test Purchases

Abstract: This is the first study to independently measure the availability of counterfeit cigarette packs purchased at full price from licensed retailers in New York City. We find that none of the Marlboro Gold packs purchased from licensed cigarette retailers are counterfeit.

Cited by 3 publications

References 12 publications

Categorising characteristics of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes: a systematic review of tobacco industry documents

Categorising characteristics of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes: a systematic review of tobacco industry documents

Identifying Counterfeit Cigarettes Using Environmental Pollen Analysis: An Improved Procedure*

Measuring anomalies in cigarette sales using official data from Spanish provinces: Are the anomalies detected by the Empty Pack Surveys (EPSs) used by Transnational Tobacco Companies (TTCs) the only anomalies?

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