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The $5 man: the underground economic response to a large cigarette tax increase in New York City.

Shelley D, Cantrell MJ, Moon-Howard J, Ramjohn DQ, VanDevanter N

Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10 032, USA. drs26@columbia.edu

OBJECTIVES: We examined the mechanisms by which living in a disadvantaged minority community influences smoking and illegal cigarette sale and purchasing behaviors after a large cigarette tax increase. METHODS: Data were collected from 14 focus groups (n=104) that were conducted during the spring of 2003 among Blacks aged 18 years and older living in New York City. RESULTS: A large tax increase led to what focus group participants described as a pervasive illegal cigarette market in a low-income minority community. Perceived pro-smoking community norms, a stressful social and economic environment, and the availability of illegal cigarettes worked together to reinforce smoking and undermine cessation. CONCLUSIONS: Although interest in quitting was high, bootleggers created an environment in which reduced-price cigarettes were easier to access than cessation services. This activity continues to undermine the public health goals of the tax increase.

Published 24 July 2007 in Am J Public Health, 97(8): 1483-8.
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