Video Cigarette butts reveal socio-economic conditions

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A new entry has been added to Drugs Archive

Description:

2 mins
30 May 2008
TV3 News (NZ)

While some smokers are giving up, others are making the most of every cigarette.

Research has shown that people in poorer suburbs are more likely to smoke their cigarettes right to the butt while those in wealthier suburbs have money to burn.

The new research by Otago University shows that people who live in poorer suburbs are more likely to smoke a cigarette all the way to the butt, while those in wealthier suburbs have 75-percent more unburned tobacco.

Dr George Thomas of Otago University said of the study “This confirms that when the price goes up or when they don't have enough money they will try and get more nicotine out of the same amount of tobacco.”

Researchers collected cigarette butts from six Wellington suburbs, including the high socio-economic suburbs of Kaori and Wadestown, through to the lower socio-economic areas of Cannons Creek and Naenae.

And it was not an easy task, 6000 butts were collected but only 3500 were able to be analysed because many of them were destroyed by rain or had not been stubbed out properly.

Dr Thomas explained “some of it, particularly roll your own material, decays very quickly.”

But smokers spoken to on the street by 3 News said they smoked until they had had enough and were not concerned about getting their money's worth.


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