Effects of Tax Proposals and Cigarette Availability on Tobacco Purchasing

NCT07142668 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: VT IRB 25-612R01CA266966
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 316
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Cigarette Smoking

Keywords

Experimental Tobacco Marketplace

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Percent of Budget Allocated to Products from each Tax Tier

  The investigators will measure the percent of each participant's study budget spent on products from each of the three tax tiers (high-, medium, and no-tax).

  Day 1

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Quantity of Products Purchased from each Tax Tier

  Day 1

Study Arms (4)

Tobacco Parity

EXPERIMENTAL

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the 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: Tobacco Parity Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available; Behavioral: Tobacco Parity Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

Nicotine Content

EXPERIMENTAL

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the Nicotine-Content Tax Condition. 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: Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available; Behavioral: Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

Harm Reduction

EXPERIMENTAL

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the 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: Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available; Behavioral: Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP)

EXPERIMENTAL

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the Modified Risk Tobacco Products 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.

Behavioral: Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available; Behavioral: Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

Interventions

Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available BEHAVIORAL

In the Harm Reduction Tax Condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Harm Reduction

Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available BEHAVIORAL

In the Harm Reduction Tax Condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Harm Reduction

Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available BEHAVIORAL

In the Modified Risk Tobacco Products 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP)

Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available BEHAVIORAL

In the Modified Risk Tobacco Products 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP)

Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available BEHAVIORAL

In the Nicotine-Content Tax Condition, 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Nicotine Content

Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available BEHAVIORAL

In the Nicotine-Content Tax Condition, 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Nicotine Content

Tobacco Parity Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available BEHAVIORAL

In the 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Tobacco Parity

Tobacco Parity Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available BEHAVIORAL

In the 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. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Tobacco Parity

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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.

You may not qualify if:

• 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.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: lead
• Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center: collaborator
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Buffalo, New York, 14263, United States

RECRUITING

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

Roanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cigarette Smoking

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Tobacco Smoking; Smoking; Behavior; Tobacco Use

Study Officials

• Jeff S Stein, Ph.D.

  Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Christine E Sheffer, Ph.D.

  Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Kirstin Gatchalian

CONTACT

540-526-2071; kmgatch@vtc.vt.edu

Madeleine G Mason, Ph.D.

CONTACT

540-526-2114; mgmason@vtc.vt.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Model Details: Participants will complete two control trials and one Experimental Marketplace condition, representing one of the four tax proposals. Within each tax policy group, each participant will complete five purchase scenarios in which conventional cigarettes are available and five in which conventional cigarettes are not available. In each condition, taxes will be increased proportionally across five trials to examine how cigarette purchasing and product substitution are affected.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 7, 2025
• First Posted: August 27, 2025
• Study Start: August 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Last Updated: September 5, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (2)