Teens Easily Able to Buy Cigarettes [02/28-1]

Excerpts from TEENS STILL SUCCESSFUL IN BUYING CIGARETTES

Associated Press [02/28/98]

Despite crackdowns, teenage smokers have little trouble buying cigarettes, the government said Friday in the first state-by-state scorecard of sting operations.

In the typical state, 4 out of 10 teens left convenience stores, gas stations and groceries with the cigarettes they had tried to buy. Half the states did better than that and half did worse.

Meanwhile, marking the one-year anniversary of federal rules barring the sale of cigarettes to those under age 18, the Food and Drug Administration announced a $7 million ad campaign to remind stores that they face fines if they sell tobacco to teens.

Federal law requires states, over the next few years, to reduce sales of tobacco to minors to 20 percent of those who try to buy it. Florida, Maine, New Hampshire and Washington have met the 20 percent target.

Florida was doing the best, the government said, with teens acting as covert inspectors able to buy tobacco 7.2 percent of the time. In Louisiana, teens got the goods on more than 7 of 10 tries.

Meanwhile, the FDA is working to enforce its rules barring sales to minors. It has signed contracts with 11 states, including Illinois, to inspect stores, and those states will see the new advertising campaign.

The other states are Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington.

The FDA has asked Congress for $100 million to help states enforce the agency's rules, but Congress appears wary.

click here to return to ASH's Home Web Page: http://ash.org
click here for more information about Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
click here to learn the many benefits of joining ASH on-line, over the Internet