TY - JOUR T1 - Prevalence of smuggled and foreign cigarette use in Tehran, 2009 JF - Tobacco Control JO - Tob Control SP - 380 LP - 382 DO - 10.1136/tc.2009.033191 VL - 19 IS - 5 AU - Gholamreza Heydari AU - Saeid Fallah Tafti AU - Firouzeh Telischi AU - Luk Joossens AU - Mostafa Hosseini AU - Mohammadreza Masjedi AU - Mostafa Ghafari Y1 - 2010/10/01 UR - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/19/5/380.abstract N2 - Background Iran is one of two main target markets for tobacco smuggling in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region. The Iranian government has a local tobacco monopoly but there is high demand for international brands. Informal reports show about 20% of cigarette consumption is smuggled brands. This pack survey study is the first in Iran to gather validated information on use of smuggled cigarettes.Methods A randomized cross-sectional household survey in Tehran in 2008–2009 of 1540 smokers aged 16–90 (83% men) was performed, including interviewer checking of cigarette packs.Results In all, 20.9% of cigarettes and 6.7% of domestic branded cigarettes were smuggled. A total of 60.1% of smokers preferred foreign cigarettes. There was no significant difference between consumption of illegal cigarettes by sex. (Fisher exact test p=0.61) Use of smuggled cigarettes was higher among younger smokers (p=0.01)Conclusions Use of illegal cigarettes is high. Tobacco control laws outlawing their sale are not being enforced. ER -