Overview

• A Rutgers litter study of 252 packs collected across 30 census tracts in February 2024 found only 16.6% bore New York City tax stamps, down from 39.3% in 2011 and 23.7% in 2015.
• Georgia accounted for 27.8% of packs and Virginia 20.6%, with 20.2% carrying no stamp and likely originating from North Carolina or Indian reservations.
• Newport menthol comprised 43.3% of collected packs, and 89.9% of Newport packs lacked city stamps, raising equity concerns due to higher menthol use among Black and Latino smokers.
• Large tax gaps drive trafficking incentives: New York City imposes $6.85 per pack in state and city taxes plus $1.01 federal, versus $0.37 in Georgia, $0.60 in Virginia, and $0.45 in North Carolina where stamps are not required.
• The NYC Sheriff’s Office reports regular inspections and seizures, while study authors say greater impact would come from activating the federally authorized track‑and‑trace framework.