Illegal smokes a big problem in B.C., says study

Cigarette butts are generally considered disgusting and dirty at worst, and a nuisance at best.

But researchers trying to figure out the scope of illegal tobacco use in B.C. hunted them out by the handfulin an effort to prove contraband cigarettes are a big problem that needs addressing.

"The methodology is nothing glamourous," saidAndrew Klukas, president of the Western Convenience Stores Association, the body that commissioned the study.

"Health Canada mandates that legal cigarettes have a brand marking right close to the end, to the butt.So what you see is what you get," he said.

Butts were collected over a two-week period in Septemberfrom 50 public locations around the province and then analyzed to determine their origin.

When averaged out, the numbers show that14.7 percentof all cigarettes smoked in B.C. arecontraband. The study is conducted annually; this year's numbers are on par with last year's rate of 14.9 per cent.Klukas says contraband cigarettes affectnot only the bottom line of legal sellersbut also representmillionsof lost tax dollars.

"They're coming from central Canada andthey're [legally] manufactured on reserves in Quebec and Ontario where it's legal to sell them to status individualsbut not to non-status individuals," said Klukas.

UBC registered the highest contraband rate of the 50 sites where collection took place at46.2 per cent.

"We know that youngpeople are very goodcommunicatorsand so when there's asourceof supply for contraband product, word gets out quickly," said Klukas, noting contraband cigarettes can sell for one-fifth of the regular price.

'Really troubling'

Klukassays officials should be further concerned, becauseseven of the top 10 contraband sites were schools, including one high school Hugh Boyd Secondary in Richmond.

"It's really troubling," he said.

"It's evidence that young people are in fact getting access to these products. Our members do a good job of age testing and controlling access to youth [but] contraband tobacco products aren't age tested and sometimes don't even carry health warning labels."

Klukas says criminals who move contraband cigarettes often use the same distribution networks to transport other illegalgoods and drugs. That's why his organization wouldlike to see contraband cigarettes become the target ofpolice ganginitiatives.

"Finance officials told us that when they're monitoring for tobacco, they often identify other products in the distributionchannels, likefentanyl," he said. "So it's a good fitfor the guns and gangs strategy."

Top 10 Contraband Cigarette Locations in B.C.

• University of British Columbia, Vancouver- 46.2 per cent.
• Passport Canada office, Vancouver - 29.8 per cent.
• University of theFraser Valley, Chilliwack - 28.9 per cent.
• Worker's Compensation Board office, Richmond - 28.2 per cent.
• Main branch, Vancouver Public Library - 27.0 per cent.
• University of British Columbia Okanagan,Kelowna - 26.8 per cent.
• Langara College, Vancouver - 24.0 per cent.
• Hugh Boyd Secondary School, Richmond - 23.8 per cent.
• Service Canada Centre, Kelowna- 23.7 per cent.
• Simon Fraser University, Burnaby - 23.1 per cent.