von Lampe Klaus, Kurti Marin, Johnson Jacqueline
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 524 West 59th Street T-422, New York, NY 10019, United States.
Rutgers School of Public Health, 683 Hoes Lane West Room 310, Piscataway, NJ 08852, United States.
Prev Med Rep. 2018 Oct 2;12:182-185. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2018.09.016. eCollection 2018 Dec.
This study seeks to update and expand our understanding of the perceptions and purchasing patterns of smokers of single cigarettes ('loosies') in disadvantaged urban areas. Semi-structured guides were used in thirteen focus groups with 67 self-identified adult smokers from the South Bronx section of New York City in summer 2013. There is wide availability of single cigarettes in the South Bronx, with legitimate stores overwhelmingly being the preferred venue for purchases. Single cigarettes are sold at higher per-unit prices than illicit packs. However, buyers of single cigarettes can achieve cost savings compared to legal, fully taxed cigarette packs. Apart from cost-savings, smokers opt for single cigarettes to reduce their personal cigarette consumption. There is a general perception of market resilience despite law enforcement intervention. However, law enforcement has a limiting effect on access to single cigarettes outside of an individual smoker's immediate neighborhood. The findings suggest that single cigarette sales are an important element of the illicit cigarette market in disadvantaged communities which should not be ignored in future research on the nature and extent of cigarette tax avoidance and evasion.
本研究旨在更新并拓展我们对城市贫困地区单支香烟（“散支烟”）吸烟者的认知及购买模式的理解。2013年夏季，在纽约市布朗克斯南部地区，针对67名自称成年吸烟者开展了13个焦点小组访谈，采用了半结构化指南。在布朗克斯南部，单支香烟随处可得，合法商店是绝大多数人购买单支香烟的首选场所。单支香烟的单位售价高于非法包装香烟。然而，与合法的、足额纳税的整包香烟相比，购买单支香烟的消费者能够节省开支。除了节省费用外，吸烟者选择购买单支香烟以减少个人香烟消费量。尽管有执法干预，但人们普遍认为该市场具有韧性。不过，执法行动对吸烟者在其紧邻社区之外获取单支香烟具有限制作用。研究结果表明，单支香烟销售是贫困社区非法香烟市场的一个重要组成部分，在未来关于香烟避税和逃税的性质及程度的研究中不应被忽视。
