Single Cigar Price and Availability in Communities With and Without a Cigar Packaging and Pricing Regulation

Single Cigar Price and Availability in Communities With and Without a Cigar Packaging and Pricing Regulation

PROGRAM EVALUATION BRIEF — Volume 16 — June 20, 2019

Lindsay Kephart, MPH1; Glory Song, MPH1; Patricia Henley, MEd2; W.W. Sanouri Ursprung, PhD1(View author affiliations)

Suggested citation for this article: Kephart L, Song G, Henley P, Ursprung WS. Single Cigar Price and Availability in Communities With and Without a Cigar Packaging and Pricing Regulation. Prev Chronic Dis 2019;16:180624. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180624external icon.

PEER REVIEWED

On This Page

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Purpose and Objectives
• Intervention Approach
• Evaluation Methods
• Results
• Implications for Public Health
• Acknowledgments
• Author Information
• References
• Table

Summary

What is already known about this topic?

Single cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos are considered starter tobacco products for youth and are available in flavors and for low prices. Localities in Massachusetts and Minnesota demonstrated that a regulation requiring a minimum price for cigars led to a short-term decrease in availability and an increase in the price of single cigars.

What is added by this report?

Annual pricing survey data collected from tobacco retailers in Massachusetts from 2014 through 2018 demonstrated that as more communities adopted a cigar packaging and pricing regulation, the price of single cigars increased and the availability of single cigars decreased, even in communities that had not implemented the policy. During the same time period, current youth use of cigars also decreased substantially.

What are the implications for public health practice?

Local municipalities who adopt similar point-of-sale tobacco regulations may contribute to a long-term increase in price and decrease in availability of single cigars among youth-accessible retailers.

Abstract

Single cigars are available for sale throughout the tobacco retail environment, are often sold for prices as low as 49 cents, and are available in flavors that appeal to youth. Since 2012, 151 municipalities in Massachusetts have enacted a minimum cigar packaging and pricing regulation that increases the price of a single cigar to a minimum of $2.50 and the price of multi-packs of 2 cigars to a minimum of $5.00. We used pricing data collected from retailers across the state to measure the effect of the regulation on price and availability of single cigars over the long term. From 2014 through 2018, the statewide average price of single cigars increased from $1.35 to $1.64, concurrent with a decrease in statewide availability. Prices of single cigars were higher in communities with the regulation but also rose over time in communities without the regulation. The increased price and decreased availability of single cigars may reduce youth exposure and access to these products.