Key Findings
State Tobacco Control Policy cont'd
Youth Access
Tobacco use is a disease of the young. Every day 6,000 children under the age of 18 start smoking for the first time and close to 2,000 of them become established daily smokers. 41
The earlier a smoker starts, the more likely he or she is to die from tobacco use. Enactment and enforcement of policies to restrict the sale and distribution of tobacco products to minors are effective components of a comprehensive tobacco control program.
Parents, teachers, community leaders and the public agree that minors should not have access to tobacco products. Even the tobacco industry purports to share this view. Nevertheless, that same industry aggressively and consistently fights meaningful efforts to enact and enforce youth access laws at the federal, state and local levels and relentlessly continues to target the nation's youth.
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Since the Master Settlement Agreement was announced, the tobacco industry has increased its marketing expenditures by almost 85 percent. 42
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The 2004 Federal Trade Commission report on cigarette sales, advertising and promotion found that the tobacco industry increased it advertising and promotion expenditures to $12.47 billion in 2002. The largest expenditures were for price discounts to cigarette retailers in order to reduce the price of cigarettes.43
Many studies have found that making it as difficult and inconvenient as possible for kids to get their hands on cigarettes reduces the number of youth who smoke. It also reduces the number of cigarettes smoked by those who are regular smokers. About half of all young smokers report they usually buy their cigarettes directly from retailers or vending machines, or by giving money to others to purchase the cigarettes for them. Increasing cigarette prices and minimizing the number of retailers who are willing to illegally sell cigarettes to kids reduces smoking by young people. 44
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of youth who purchase cigarettes through the Internet. A 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that youth have easy access to cigarettes on the Internet because many online vendors don’t check ages or don’t have an age verification process.45
2004 Highlights
Seven states received an A in youth access.
In 2004, Oklahoma passed a law prohibiting sales of tobacco products by self-service display, and made changes to other youth access laws governing random, unannounced inspections and graduated penalties to retailers. New Jersey passed a law prohibiting the sale of single cigarettes or cigarettes in packs of less than 20. In addition, Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, and Kansas passed laws restricting sales of tobacco products over the Internet.
Maine is a good example of a state with strong youth access laws, including prohibiting self-service tobacco displays, requiring a photo ID from anyone who appears to be under the age of 27 and a strong law restricting Internet sales of tobacco products. Maine has a 91 percent compliance rate among retailers for refusing tobacco sales to minors, one of the highest compliance rates in the nation. 46 The state’s youth access laws combined with its comprehensive tobacco prevention program, smokefree air laws and $1.00 cigarette excise tax have contributed to a sharp drop in youth smoking in the state over the past several years.
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Maine's successful tobacco prevention program has resulted in a 48 percent drop in the rate of smoking by high school students and a 59 percent decrease in middle school smoking rates.
| Delaware's youth access law has been very successful in increasing retailer compliance. Since 1999, the statewide compliance rate has risen from 66 percent to 95 percent, significantly increasing the number of outlets that comply with the prohibition against selling cigarettes to minors.47
The American Lung Association supports laws prohibiting the free distribution of tobacco products, prohibiting tobacco product vending machines and prohibiting or severely limiting the sale of bidis. vi Currently, only Idaho and Rhode Island completely prohibit free distribution of tobacco products, and Massachusetts and Minnesota exempt only single-serving samples in tobacco stores. Idaho and Vermont are the only two states that completely prohibit tobacco product vending machines. Four states -- llinois, North Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia -- prohibit the sale of bidis.
Twenty-three states received an F in youth access. Because youth access is an important component of a comprehensive tobacco policy, these states are missing out on vital strategies to curb youth smoking. States must do more than just enact strong youth access laws; they must enforce those laws. Enforcement is critical for keeping tobacco products away from children and youth.
vi Bidis or beedies are small, flavored, filterless cigarettes made in India that have gained popularity among America's teenagers. They consist of shredded tobacco rolled in dried tendu leaves (a broad-leafed plant native to India) and are secured with string.
Key Findings Continued... |
