Effects of Tax Proposals and Cigarette Availability on Tobacco Purchasing
Recruiting
The Impact of Availability of Conventional Cigarettes and LNCs in the Context of Innovative Tax Proposals
Who can join
Ages 21 and older · All sexes
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * provide informed consent * provide a breath carbon monoxide sample ≥ 8 ppm, * be at least 21 years of age (the legal age to purchase tobacco), * smoke at least 10 cigarettes daily, and * use other tobacco products less than weekly. Exclusion Criteria: * report uncontrolled physical or mental health conditions (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, major depressive disorder, etc.), * use of smoking cessation medications (e.g., nicotine replacement, bupropion, varenicline) in the past 30 days, * report concrete, immediate plans to alter/quit using their usual tobacco products in the next 30 days, * be pregnant or lactating, or * have plans to move out of the area during the experiment.
About the study
This study will investigate the effects of normal-nicotine versus low-nicotine cigarette availability in the context of four tax proposals (Tobacco Parity, Nicotine-Content, Harm-Reduction, and Modified Risk Tobacco Product-based taxes) on tobacco product purchasing patterns in a virtual marketplace.
What is being tested
- Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available (behavioral)
- Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available (behavioral)
- Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available (behavioral)
- Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available (behavioral)
- Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available (behavioral)
- Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available (behavioral)
Sponsor: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · Participants: 316 · Started: Aug 14, 2025
Contact the study team
- Kirstin Gatchalian · Phone: 540-526-2071
- Madeleine G Mason, Ph.D. · Phone: 540-526-2114
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07142668
Locations in the U.S.
| New York | Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo |
| Virginia | Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.