Marin Kurti1,2, Yi He3, Diana Silver4, Margaret Giorgio4, Klaus von Lampe5, James Macinko6,7, Hua Ye3, Fidelis Tan3, Victoria Mei3. 1. Center for Tobacco Studies, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ. 2. Department of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, Rutgers School of Public Health, Piscataway, NJ. 3. Department of Sciences, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY. 4. Department of Public Health Policy, College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY. 5. Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY. 6. Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA. 7. Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There are no independent studies measuring the availability of premium brand counterfeit cigarettes in New York City from licensed retailers. METHODS: We forensically analyzed the cigarette packaging of Marlboro Gold (n = 1021) purchased from licensed tobacco retailers in New York City, using ultraviolet irradiation and light microscopy to determine whether they were counterfeit. RESULTS: We find that while only 0.5% (n = 5) of our sample exhibits at least one characteristic synonymous with counterfeit packaging, none of our packs can be conclusively classified as counterfeit. CONCLUSIONS: We do not find any counterfeit Marlboro Gold packs purchased at full price from licensed cigarette retailers throughout New York City. Future research using test purchases should include other venues (eg, street and online) and specifically ask for discounts to ascertain the overall presence of counterfeit cigarettes. IMPLICATIONS: 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.
BACKGROUND: There are no independent studies measuring the availability of premium brand counterfeit cigarettes in New York City from licensed retailers. METHODS: We forensically analyzed the cigarette packaging of Marlboro Gold (n = 1021) purchased from licensed tobacco retailers in New York City, using ultraviolet irradiation and light microscopy to determine whether they were counterfeit. RESULTS: We find that while only 0.5% (n = 5) of our sample exhibits at least one characteristic synonymous with counterfeit packaging, none of our packs can be conclusively classified as counterfeit. CONCLUSIONS: We do not find any counterfeit Marlboro Gold packs purchased at full price from licensed cigarette retailers throughout New York City. Future research using test purchases should include other venues (eg, street and online) and specifically ask for discounts to ascertain the overall presence of counterfeit cigarettes. IMPLICATIONS: 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.