A recent study conducted by the Western Convenience Store Association (WCSA) found that 17.2 per cent of cigarette butts collected in BC contained contraband tobacco, which refers to any tobacco that enters the country illegally, or cigarettes from untaxed or counterfeit brands.

The number one hot spot in the province for contraband cigarette smokers was a smoking pit at SFU, where they found that 51.6 per cent of the cigarettes were contraband.

In a province which has the highest compliancy rate for youth smoking in the nation, these statistics complicate combating underage smoking for Andrew Klukas, president of the WCSA.

Klukas explained the origin of these products: “Usually [contraband tobacco products] come from two sources: one is central Canada. [The] RCMP tells us that a lot of the contraband is found in Canada — it’s smuggled from the US from an area near Cornwall, Ontario that sits right on the border of New York and interior Quebec and it makes the perfect entry point for smugglers.”

The second source is here on the west coast. Klukas said, “BC is kind of unique because we’re right next to Asia. There are foreign products manufactured in Asia and they too shouldn’t be sold in Canada; they’re not taxed but they will appear here in a fair amount because we’re exposed to that.”

In the study, cigarette butts were taken from the ground and ashtrays, then shipped to Montreal for analysis. Legal cigarette butts have brand marks while the illegal ones don’t, so they are easily distinguished. Others are branded, but these are noticeably foreign or native brands that haven’t been taxed. Tobacco made on reserves in Ontario is not taxed, and while it is legal in Ontario, it is illegal in other provinces.

“It’s not very glamorous work, I’ll tell you,” Klukas laughed. “Sometimes [researchers] get hassled, but they’re very hands on, and what you see is what you get.”

For the WCSA, this study raises concerns over the issue of youth smoking. Age testing in convenience stores has shown that BC has an over 93 per cent percent compliancy rate, which is the highest in Canada. The tests are done by sending underage customers into stores to see if they are able to purchase cigarettes.

With contraband tobacco, however, underage customers are much more likely to be able to obtain tobacco products. “Contraband stuff is not subject to age testing, people selling it out of the back of their trunk or wherever they sell it are not asking for age. Often there are no warning labels, it’s stuff just sold in baggies and they’re really cheap so kids can get access. That undermines all of the efforts to prevent youth access to tobacco,” Klukas said.

With a 51 per cent contraband level at SFU and a 0 per cent level found in Kelowna, it raises the question of why this school is using illegal products more than half of the time.

“That was a real surprise to us but I suspect that it [occurs] if people go to school and they smoke, and university students are really good communicators and they don’t have a lot of money,” Klukas laughed, “So if someone says ‘Hey I can get pretty good quality smokes from over there for 50 bucks a carton,’ then word gets around.”