The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on where tobacco users purchased cigarettes and snus in different Norwegian regions.

Abstract

Aims: With the spread of COVID-19, the Norwegian government introduced restrictions on cross-border travel starting March 2020. Purchase of tobacco when travelling, especially from Sweden and duty-free shops, has comprised a substantial part of Norwegian tobacco consumption for many years. We investigated whether COVID-19-related travel restrictions and recommendations led to changes in tobacco purchases from Norway, Sweden, duty-free, other countries, possible illicit sources and web shops. Design: Based on a survey conducted by Ipsos, we examined: (i) the prevalence of smoking and snus use and where smokers and snus users reported having purchased tobacco consumed during the last 24 hours from 2015 to 2019, by county; and (ii) the probabilities of having purchased tobacco from different sources in the period before and after COVID-19-related travel restrictions and recommendations. Results: The proportion of smokers varied from 12% to 19% and the proportion of snus users varied from 12% to 21% across counties. Cigarettes bought in Norway comprised from 27% to 79% of the previous day's consumption, depending on the respondent's county of residence. For snus, the percentages ranged from 20% to 70%. The probability of buying tobacco in Norway increased by around 30 percentage points during the period of COVID-19-related travel restrictions and recommendations, compared with previous years. The increase was greatest in border regions and was accompanied by fewer purchases in Swedish and duty-free shops. Conclusion: The increased share of tobacco purchases from shops in Norway means that, for many tobacco users, buying tobacco become more expensive and that taxes on tobacco to a greater extent were paid in Norway. However, whether these extraordinary circumstances will affect future cigarette and snus use, and place of purchase of tobacco products, remains to be seen.