Recruiting

Normal-Nicotine vs. Low-Nicotine

Sponsor:

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Code:

NCT07142668

Conditions

Cigarette Smoking

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available

Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available

Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available

Study Details

Brief summary:

This study will investigate the effects of normal-nicotine versus low-nicotine cigarette availability in the context of four tax proposals (Tobacco Parity, Nicotine-Content, Harm-Reduction, and Modified Risk Tobacco Product-based taxes) on tobacco product purchasing patterns in a virtual marketplace.

Conditions

Cigarette Smoking

Study ID

NCT07142668

Start date

Aug 14, 2025

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Sep 30, 2026

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Sep 15, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 21+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • provide informed consent
  • provide a breath carbon monoxide sample ≥ 8 ppm,
  • be at least 21 years of age (the legal age to purchase tobacco),
  • smoke at least 10 cigarettes daily, and
  • use other tobacco products less than weekly.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • report uncontrolled physical or mental health conditions (e.g., uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, major depressive disorder, etc.),
  • 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,
  • be pregnant or lactating, or
  • have plans to move out of the area during the experiment.

Study Design

Enrollment

316 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Tobacco Parity

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the Tobacco Parity Tax condition. Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier while products that do not contain tobacco (e.g., herbal cigarettes and nicotine-free ENDS) are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.

experimental: Nicotine Content

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the Nicotine-Content Tax Condition. Products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, products with greater than 3 mg nicotine per single unit are placed in the high-tax tier, products with 0.6-3.0 mg/unit in the medium-tax tier, and those with 0.5 mg/unit or less in the no-tax tier.

experimental: Harm Reduction

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the Harm Reduction Tax Condition. Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all combustible products with high abuse liability are placed in the high-tax tier. All non-combustible products or combustible products with low abuse liability are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.

experimental: Modified Risk Tobacco Products (MRTP)

Exclusive cigarette smokers will be recruited and will be exposed to two control trials and the Modified Risk Tobacco Products tax condition. Tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all non-MRTP tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier, MRTPs are placed in the medium-tax tier, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier.

Interventions

Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available

In the Harm Reduction Tax Condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. All combustible products with high abuse liability are placed in the high-tax tier. All non-combustible products or combustible products with low abuse liability are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Harm Reduction Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

In the Harm Reduction Tax Condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. All combustible products with high abuse liability are placed in the high-tax tier. All non-combustible products or combustible products with low abuse liability are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available

In the Modified Risk Tobacco Products tax condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all non-MRTP tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier, MRTPs are placed in the medium-tax tier, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Modified Risk Tobacco Product Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

In the Modified Risk Tobacco Products tax condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all non-MRTP tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier, MRTPs are placed in the medium-tax tier, and Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available

In the Nicotine-Content Tax Condition, products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, products with greater than 3 mg nicotine per single unit are placed in the high-tax tier, products with 0.6-3.0 mg/unit in the medium-tax tier, and those with 0.5 mg/unit or less in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Nicotine Content Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

In the Nicotine-Content Tax Condition, products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, products with greater than 3 mg nicotine per single unit are placed in the high-tax tier, products with 0.6-3.0 mg/unit in the medium-tax tier, and those with 0.5 mg/unit or less in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Tobacco Parity Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Available

In the Tobacco Parity Tax condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier while products that do not contain tobacco (e.g., herbal cigarettes and nicotine-free ENDS) are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Tobacco Parity Tax - Normal Nicotine Cigarettes Not Available

In the Tobacco Parity Tax condition, tobacco products in the Experimental Tobacco Marketplace are placed into three tax tiers: high-, medium-, and no-tax. In this condition, all tobacco products are placed in the high-tax tier while products that do not contain tobacco (e.g., herbal cigarettes and nicotine-free ENDS) are placed in the medium-tax tier. Nicotine Replacement Therapy products are placed in the no-tax tier. The participant's preferred normal-nicotine content cigarettes are NOT available in the marketplace. Participants complete two trials with all products offered at market price, and five trials with prices for each product increasing proportionally to tax tier.

Primary outcome measure

  • Percent of Budget Allocated to Products from each Tax Tier [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Madeleine G Mason, Ph.D.

540-526-2114mgmason@vtc.vt.edu

Locations

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Recruiting

Buffalo, New York, United States, 14263

Contacts

Principal Investigator:

Christine E Sheffer, Ph.D.

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

Recruiting

Roanoke, Virginia, United States, 24016

Contacts

Madeleine G Mason, Ph.D.

5405262114mgmason@vtc.vt.edu

Principal Investigator:

Jeff S Stein, Ph.D.

More Information

Sponsor

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Last update posted

May 19, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • Experimental Tobacco Marketplace

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on 2026-05-19.