Will smokers turn to illegal cigarettes? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT07161050
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looks at how setting a very-low-nicotine standard for cigarettes and changing prices of illegal cigarettes and e-cigarettes affects what people buy in a virtual marketplace. About 70 adult smokers and dual users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes will take part. The goal is to understand if such policies might push people toward illegal products or alternative nicotine products.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could help policymakers understand how to reduce smoking without driving people to illegal cigarettes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage behavioral study in a virtual marketplace, not real-world conditions. Results may not predict actual illegal purchasing behavior.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Provide informed consent Be at least 21 years of age or older Provide a breath sample for measuring carbon monoxide (CO ≥ 8 ppm) Stable tobacco use patterns for at least two months Exclusion Criteria: For exclusive cigarette smokers: Smoke at least 10 cigarettes daily and do not use NVPs regularly (no more than 9 times in the last month). For dual cigarette/NVP users: Smoke at least 10 cigarettes daily and use NVPs at least 3 times in a week (report use of closed nicotine salt system) For both groups: Have plans to move out of the area Have a serious or unstable physical or mental health condition Taking a tobacco cessation medication or medication that interferes with nicotine metabolism, motivation or reinforcement Report concrete, immediate plans to alter/quit using their usual nicotine products at the beginning of the study Being pregnant or lactating
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion
RECRUITINGRoanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States
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