The sale of contraband cigarettes increased by 30% in Canada

Quebec people are champions among smokers of illegal cigarettes. This is the name they share with their neighbors from Ontario. Indeed, the sale of contraband cigarettes has increased by 30% in Canada in 2007 and by 37% in Quebec during the year. These annual results, estimated the Canadian Council of tobacco businesses. The study shows that 30,5% of the cigarettes smoked in this country are the result of illegal trade. The Council considers that the total losses estimated at $ 1.6 billion. These tobacco products are the result of indigenous reserves are established along the St. Lawrence River. These cigarettes are sold at the price of a good cause, or about $ 6 per cartridge, and the products of the major cigarette business was sold for $ 48-70.

Small retailers can not compete with cheap illegal tobacco, says the president of JTI Macdoland Corp. Michelle Puarie. Illegal cigarettes are not subjugated to the same rules as cigarette manufacturing entrepreneurs, members of the Council. There are no checks to verify the quality of cigarettes. Very often, these cigarettes are sold in plastic bags, which do not convey information about the dangerous effects of smoking.