HOW COMPLETE ARE TOBACCO SALES DATA? ASSESSING THE COMPREHENSIVENESS OF TOBACCO PRODUCT RETAIL SALES DATA THROUGH COMPARISONS TO EXCISE TAX COLLECTIONS.

Policy evaluations and analyses using e-cigarette and cigarette sales data are often criticized because these data do not cover online sales or sales by specialty retailers like tobacconists.Cigarette sales data consistently cover nearly 90% of taxed sales, while e-cigarette sales data cover around 50% of taxed volumes.Retail sales data capture nearly all cigarette sales and a substantial portion of ENDS sales with relatively stable rates of coverage over time, supporting their continued use in tobacco surveillance and policy evaluation work.