‘Teabacco’: Smoking of nicotine-infused tea as an unintended consequence of prison smoking bans

Abstract

Introduction and Aims: Following the introduction of smoke-free policies in prisons in several countries, there have been anecdotal reports of prisoners creating cigarettes by mixing nicotine patches or lozenges with tea leaves (‘teabacco’). Among a sample of people recently released from smoke-free prisons in Queensland, Australia, the aims of this study were to explore the perceived popularity of teabacco use, motivations for its use and describe the process of creating teabacco to identify potential associated health risks. Design and Methods: This study used a mixed-methods design. Eighty-two people recently released from prison in Queensland, Australia completed surveys at parole office..