Second pack survey on the prevalence of the use of smuggled cigarettes in Tehran, 2015

Heydari, Gholamreza; Joossens, Luk; Chamyani, Fahimeh; Masjedi, Milad; Shadmehr, Mohammad Behgam; Fadaizadeh, Lida

doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2015-052588

Cited by 2 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Study participants believed that the low price of cigarettes in Iran is indirectly related to the large-scale distribution and accessibility of cigarettes, including smuggled cigarettes.The majority of cigarette vendors referred to Winston® as one of the bestselling cigarettes despite being available in Iran only illicitly. A previous cross-sectional survey among 1540 adult smokers in Iran during 2008–2009 showed that more than 60% of cigarette smokers favored foreign brands [ 29 ]. This indicate that foreign cigarettes are supplied on a large scale in Iran, either licit or illicit, and cigarette smokers can easily afford them despite their higher price in the market.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, when it comes to a country under economic sanctions like Iran, illicit cigarettes are significantly less expensive than ones imported legally, making them more affordable to low-income smokers from lower-class families, which poses detrimental health effects on them, their families, and society in general [43]. Additionally, the open sale of illicit cigarettes (e.g., at the newsagent's kiosks), for which no tax has been paid, is imposing large revenue losses on the Iranian government that otherwise can be spent on the healthcare system [29] or be dedicated to providing smoking cessation services. According to other studies, the economic cycle can also influence cigarette and other illicit drug consumption and also the mental and physical health of the population [44,45].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of price on cigarette consumption, distribution, and sale in Tehran: a qualitative study

et al. 2021

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Background Appropriate increases in tobacco taxes and prices are an essential component of comprehensive tobacco control strategies. This study investigates factors related to the use, sale, and distribution of cigarettes in Iran, focusing on the relationship between cigarette price and its consumption. Methods This interview-based qualitative study was conducted among 20 participants, including cigarette smokers, retail shop owners, large-scale distributors, and an expert in tobacco control research. Results Seven themes were extracted from participant interviews, including the type and price of cigarette, the best time to sell cigarettes, profits from the sale of cigarette, affordability, rise in cigarette price and smokers’ reaction to it, lobbying and black-market sales of cigarettes, and the sale and distribution of cigarettes across the country. Although the price of cigarettes in Iran has shown some increases in the past decade, the timing of these increases are not predictable and the limited amount of these increases has not reduced the use of cigarettes. Following a price increase, consumers are more likely to switch from buying packets to single cigarettes, or buy a less expensive brand, then to quit. Moreover, increases in prices may encourage smokers and sellers to buy a large number of cigarettes and store them for a rainy day. Another adverse effect may be increased smuggling of illicit cigarettes to balance the pressure caused by rising prices. Conclusions Our findings highlight two important aspects concerning cigarette pricing in Iran. First is the change in the type of purchase from the whole box of cigarettes to the single stick cigarette or swapping to less expensive cigarettes. Second, increase in cigarette price (either through taxing or regular increases) could be offset by flooding smuggled cigarettes into the market. Therefore, in addition to raising cigarette prices, reducing cigarette consumption rates in Iran requires the development and effective implementation of regulatory policies to control cigarette smuggling, reduce purchasing, and subsequently curb the use of this leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of price on cigarette consumption, distribution, and sale in Tehran: a qualitative study

et al. 2021

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“…Data were collected from the fourth cigarette pack survey to evaluate the illegal cigarette consumption in Tehran with the same method. [6][7][8] This study was a crosssectional household survey of smokers aged 15 and over in Tehran, conducted from September 2020 to February 2021. Smokers included who reported having smoked one cigarette a day for at least a year.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Serial studies of Cigarette Packs Survey with the same method were conducted in Tehran between 2003 and 2015 which indicated that 40%, 20.9% and 15.4% of smokers consumed smuggled cigarettes respectively. [6][7][8] Those studies as household surveys were carried out through a questionnaire filled out by smokers self-reporting their cigarette packs to evaluate being legal or illicit. This present study was the fourth one done through the observation of smokers' cigarette packs to find the trend of illicit cigarette consumption in Tehran for the past two decades.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trend of Smuggled Cigarette Consumption in Tehran in the Last Two Decades

Heydari

Joossens²

2022

Arch Iran Med

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Background: Illicit tobacco trade is focused on Iran as a main target in the WHO’s eastern Mediterranean region. Serial studies of Cigarette Packs Survey with same method were conducted in Tehran between 2003 and 2015 to evaluate consumed smuggled cigarettes. This study as the fourth Cigarette Packs Survey is designed to indicate the trends of illicit cigarette trade in Tehran in the last two decades. Methods: A cross-sectional household study was carried out in early 2021 in Tehran on 3042 persons who smoked at least one daily cigarette for a year. The sampling method was like the sampling method used in three previous studies. Participants aged≥15 years were asked to reveal their current cigarette pack, which was either legal cigarettes (having governmental label); or illegal cigarettes (without governmental label). Results: The subjects included 2536 males (83.4%) and the mean age was 39.9±12.1 years; 1854 subjects (60.9%) showed foreign cigarettes and 1188 (39.1%) showed domestic cigarettes; 2705 (88.9%) consumed legal cigarettes and 337 (11.1%) consumed illegal cigarettes. Consumption of illegal cigarettes by gender showed greater use of smuggled cigarettes in males (11.7%vs 8.1%). No significant differences were seen based on the marital and educational status in terms of illegal cigarettes prevalence. Conclusion: Compare with previous studies, the trend of consumption of illicit cigarettes was decreasing in past two decades. This could be due to new regulation on monitoring cigarette distribution and changing illegal brands to legal as joint production.

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Second pack survey on the prevalence of the use of smuggled cigarettes in Tehran, 2015

Cited by 2 publications

References 6 publications

The effect of price on cigarette consumption, distribution, and sale in Tehran: a qualitative study

The effect of price on cigarette consumption, distribution, and sale in Tehran: a qualitative study

Trend of Smuggled Cigarette Consumption in Tehran in the Last Two Decades

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