The Impact of Innovative Tax Proposals on Purchase Patterns

Purpose

This study will investigate the effect of four tax proposals (i.e. Tobacco Parity, Nicotine-Content, Harm-Reduction, and Modified Risk Tobacco Product-related taxes) on tobacco product purchasing patterns.

Condition

  • Cigarette Smoking

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Over 21 Years
Eligible Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

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.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Participants will each complete two control trials and four Experimental Marketplace conditions, representing each of the four tax proposals. The order of tax proposal conditions will be determined randomly. Within each condition, taxes will be increased proportionally across 5 trials to examine how cigarette purchasing, substitution, and poly-tobacco purchasing (i.e., diversity in products purchased) are affected.
Primary Purpose
Basic Science
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Cigarette smokers - Sequence 1 		Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and each of the four tax policy conditions in this sequence: Tobacco Parity, Modified Risk Tobacco Products, Harm Reduction, Nicotine Content.
  • Behavioral: Market Price Condition (control)
    Nicotine/tobacco products available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace at market price. Cigarette taxes increased across trials at the same magnitudes used in the tax conditions.
  • Behavioral: Tobacco Parity Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier while products that do not contain tobacco (e.g., herbal cigarettes and nicotine-free ENDS) are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Nicotine-Content Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, products with greater than 3 mg nicotine per single unit are placed in the high-tax tier, products with 0.6-3.0 mg/unit in the medium-tax tier, and those with 0.5 mg/unit or less in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Harm-Reduction Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all combustible products with high abuse liability are placed in the high-tax tier. All non-combustible products or combustible products with low abuse liability are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all non-MRTP tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier, MRTPs are placed in the medium-tax tier, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
Experimental
Cigarette smokers - Sequence 2 		Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the four tax policy conditions in this sequence: Nicotine Content, Tobacco Parity, Modified Risk Tobacco Products, Harm Reduction.
  • Behavioral: Market Price Condition (control)
    Nicotine/tobacco products available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace at market price. Cigarette taxes increased across trials at the same magnitudes used in the tax conditions.
  • Behavioral: Tobacco Parity Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier while products that do not contain tobacco (e.g., herbal cigarettes and nicotine-free ENDS) are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Nicotine-Content Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, products with greater than 3 mg nicotine per single unit are placed in the high-tax tier, products with 0.6-3.0 mg/unit in the medium-tax tier, and those with 0.5 mg/unit or less in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Harm-Reduction Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all combustible products with high abuse liability are placed in the high-tax tier. All non-combustible products or combustible products with low abuse liability are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all non-MRTP tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier, MRTPs are placed in the medium-tax tier, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
Experimental
Cigarette smokers - Sequence 3 		Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and each of the the four tax policy conditions in this sequence: Modified Risk Tobacco Products, Harm Reduction, Nicotine Content, Tobacco Parity.
  • Behavioral: Market Price Condition (control)
    Nicotine/tobacco products available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace at market price. Cigarette taxes increased across trials at the same magnitudes used in the tax conditions.
  • Behavioral: Tobacco Parity Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier while products that do not contain tobacco (e.g., herbal cigarettes and nicotine-free ENDS) are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Nicotine-Content Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, products with greater than 3 mg nicotine per single unit are placed in the high-tax tier, products with 0.6-3.0 mg/unit in the medium-tax tier, and those with 0.5 mg/unit or less in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Harm-Reduction Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all combustible products with high abuse liability are placed in the high-tax tier. All non-combustible products or combustible products with low abuse liability are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all non-MRTP tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier, MRTPs are placed in the medium-tax tier, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
Experimental
Cigarette smokers - Sequence 4 		Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and each of the the four tax policy conditions in this sequence: Harm Reduction, Nicotine Content, Tobacco Parity, Modified Risk Tobacco Products.
  • Behavioral: Market Price Condition (control)
    Nicotine/tobacco products available in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace at market price. Cigarette taxes increased across trials at the same magnitudes used in the tax conditions.
  • Behavioral: Tobacco Parity Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier while products that do not contain tobacco (e.g., herbal cigarettes and nicotine-free ENDS) are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Nicotine-Content Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, products with greater than 3 mg nicotine per single unit are placed in the high-tax tier, products with 0.6-3.0 mg/unit in the medium-tax tier, and those with 0.5 mg/unit or less in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Harm-Reduction Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all combustible products with high abuse liability are placed in the high-tax tier. All non-combustible products or combustible products with low abuse liability are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.
  • Behavioral: Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) Tax Condition
    Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all non-MRTP tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier, MRTPs are placed in the medium-tax tier, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

NCT ID
NCT05370313
Status
Completed
Sponsor
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Detailed Description

This study experimentally examines the effects of largely untried integrated tax proposals. Four tax proposals will be modeled: Tobacco Parity, Nicotine-Content, Harm-Reduction, and MRTP. Tobacco products are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax, according to the goals of each proposal. In a within-subjects design, cigarette smokers will complete two control (market price) trials and four conditions in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace, representing each of the four tax proposals. Within each condition, taxes will be increased proportionally across 5 trials (relative to tax tier) to examine how cigarette purchasing, substitution, and poly-tobacco purchasing (i.e., diversity in products purchased) are affected.

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ResearchMatch is funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) program, led by the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), grants UL1TR000445 and 1U54RR032646-01, and grant U24TR001579 from NCATS and the National Library of Medicine. The content of this website is solely the responsibility of ResearchMatch and Vanderbilt University and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH, NCATS, or NLM.

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