Cost of fags soars as jail ban nears

Photo / File

The price of black-market tobacco has skyrocketed in prisons as supplies run out a few days ahead of a Government-imposed smoking ban.

A Weekend Herald source says a 30g pouch of loose tobacco now fetches $250 at Christchurch Women's Prison - more than nine times the supermarket price for the Holiday brand.

The Government ban on smoking in prisons comes into force next Friday. It was foreshadowed by the withdrawal of tobacco from legitimate sale through the prisoner purchasing system from June 1.

The Corrections Department did not answer Herald questions yesterday on what it had learned about tobacco prices since permitted sales had stopped.

However, the department, unions and groups that help prisoners have long expected the smoking and tobacco bans would produce illicit trading.

"... we anticipate that some prisoners will try and trade cigarettes or tobacco and, like with any contraband item, prisoners will put a higher dollar or trade value on these items," said the department's service development manager, Rachel Leota.

"We put a lot of effort into stopping contraband entering our prisons and we're always looking out for [illicit] trade activities.

"We'll continue to do so as the smoking ban comes into place. If any prisoner is found to be undertaking this activity, they will face internal charges."

Corrections Minister Judith Collins announced the health and safety-based smoking ban last June, allowing a year for prisoners to get used to the idea and try to quit.

At the time, 67 per cent of prisoners - some 5600 people - were smokers compared with 19 per cent of the country's whole adult population.

Last month, the department said several voluntary smoke-free units had been set up for prisoners and that since last June, more than 4400 inmates had used nicotine replacement therapy.

Using NRT doubles a smoker's chance of quitting, to 10-15 per cent.

It emerged this month that Corrections staff were giving inmates carrot sticks to eat as a way of taking their minds off smoking.

The Public Service Association, which represents many prison guards, said it was not surprised that prisoners were paying $250 for a pouch of tobacco.

But that sort of trading could not last long once the smoking ban came into effect because it was so difficult for smokers to conceal the strong smell of smoking tobacco.