Users of illicit tobacco have worse health than smokers of licit tobacco..

July 21, 2009 - A telephone survey, stratified by state, using computer aided telephone interviewing, with households selected by random digit dialing from the telephone white pages was performed. Setting was all Australian states and territories, 1,621 regular tobacco smokers aged 18+ years. Measures were social and personal characteristics of tobacco smokers, smoking histories and patterns, and health status (SF-8 and disability weights).

It was found that current and lifetime users of illicit tobacco (chop-chop) report significantly worse health than smokers of licit tobacco.

PAPER: Smokers of illicit tobacco report significantly worse health than other smokers; Campbell K. Aitken, Tim R. L. Fry, Lisa Farrell and Breanna Pellegrini; Nicotine & Tobacco Research 11(8): 996-1001, 2009; ABSTRACT...