[imagesource: SA Police Service]

Smokers around the country are now being faced with some very tough decisions, as the cost of cheap knock-off brands skyrockets, and the legal sale of tobacco products remains banned.

Yesterday, I received a message telling me that a carton in Cape Town’s deep south had now reached R3 000, and prices in other areas around the country are comparable.

(Just be careful about broadcasting your intention to buy or sell smokes too publicly, because there could be legal repercussions.)

Let that sink in – R3 000 for 10 boxes, or 200 cigarettes, which is a cool R15 a smoke.

Gone are the days of gee vir my ‘n skyf, guys.

As Fin24 reports, for those suppliers who can still get stock, business is booming:

Where it was once possible to pop down to the café or petrol station to buy a pack, smokers now share names of contacts who have stock or trawl cafés seeking to buy something under the counter…

While some smokers didn’t set out to break the law, they say the stress of the lockdown, such as working from home and home-schooling children with no outside help, caused them to turn [to] the underground market.

Image: Alex Mitchley/News24

“My cigarette in my happy place in the garden, has become my sanity, my mental health check and break away from all the demands….This was ripped away from me,” writes a reader.

“My coping mechanism is taken away,” said another smoker. “A demanding job and 3 boys at home with my parents – a mom who survived breast cancer and is in remission.

By now, you’re well versed in the reasons for the lifting of the tobacco ban, with the Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) outlining its four main arguments.

A fifth argument could be that these illicit cigarettes are actually even worse for your health than the name-brand cigarettes you would usually smoke.

Business Insider SA covered that here. In a nutshell, illicitly produced cigarettes do not comply with manufacturing and safety standards, and may have dangerous levels of nicotine and tar content.

Smokers know this, but that won’t stop them:

“I am an essential worker and there is no way I can go cold turkey now,” writes a smoker.  “I have bought so called illegal cigarettes at ridiculously high prices and they are rubbish and extremely bad for my health.”

With issues like this, you just know there’s going to be a Facebook group, and #Smokers Against Lockdown Cigarette Ban – South Africa now has in excess of 20 000 members.

You’ll find plenty of talk about smoking various types of tea, poorly cropped screenshots, and support towards those struggling with withdrawal symptoms.

The group was founded by Bianca Kohn, who spoke with TimesLIVE via email:

“Half of my group has turned into a therapy counselling group with 70% of our members dealing with depression and suicidal red flags for our therapists and counsellors,” Kohn said in an e-mail to TimesLIVE.

“When I created this group, I did not take into consideration the impact that this will have on everyone on an emotional, mental and psychological aspect. We have people crying to us in tears, pouring their absolute hearts out. Their cries of help echo in my head while they suffer the sudden withdrawal without having had time to prepare themselves. This is absolute tragic,” she said…

“They did not take into consideration the mental and psychological health that will be effected among millions of smokers. Doctors are warning that one cannot just stop, especially if you are old. It can cause even further health complications,” she said.

Cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will not be popular with smokers in the years to come.

There is hope on the horizon, as current regulations state that tobacco products can be sold under alert level 3, although that may only happen at the end of the month, and not necessarily in every part of the country.

If you are struggling with depression, you can find the relevant contact numbers here.

[sources:fin24&timeslive]