Taxing cigarettes based on addiction risk could cut smoking, study suggests
NCT ID NCT07042373
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 16, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at how different ways of taxing tobacco products might affect how much people smoke. Researchers will have 51 daily smokers, aged 21 and older, use a simulated online marketplace to buy tobacco products under four different tax plans. The goal is to see if taxes based on how addictive a product is can reduce cigarette demand and encourage switching to less harmful options.
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 study could help design tax policies that reduce cigarette smoking by making it less affordable compared to other nicotine products.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage behavioral study (51 participants) in a simulated marketplace, not real-world conditions. Results may not translate to actual smoking behavior or policy outcomes.
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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.
- Started
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Jul 2026
- Expected to finish
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Apr 2027
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.
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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) * Smoke at least 10 cigarettes daily * Use other tobacco products less than weekly Exclusion criteria: * Have uncontrolled physical or mental health conditions * 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 * If they are pregnant or lactating * Have plans to move out of the area during the experiment
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
Roanoke, Virginia, 24016, United States
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