Oklahoma's Department of Corrections began selling e-cigarettes and flavored nicotine pouches to prisoners on March 3, reversing a tobacco ban that has been in place since the mid-2000s. The products, priced at $11.50 and $10.50 respectively, cost more than many prisoners earn during a full eighthour workday.
As Keaton Ross reported, corrections officials say the move will reduce violence by eliminating the black market for contraband tobacco and easing nicotine withdrawal among prisoners who smoked before incarceration. On the first day of sales, the agency took in roughly $15,000. Profit margins on the products often exceed 300%, with proceeds directed to a fund supporting prison programs and supplies for indigent inmates.
Health experts are skeptical. A study published last month found e-cigarette users were nearly as likely as traditional smokers to develop cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. None of the products being sold have received FDA approval as cessation aids, and researchers note that introducing nicotine aerosol into a smoke-free environment can undermine quitting efforts among prisoners who had successfully gone without tobacco.
