Internet sales of cigarettes to minors

Kurt M Ribisl ¹, Rebecca S Williams , Annice E Kim

⁰Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-7440, USA. kurt_ribisl@unc.edu

Jama +

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September 11, 2003

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Minors can easily buy cigarettes online, with most Internet vendors failing to verify age. This study highlights significant risks of underage tobacco access through e-commerce platforms.

Area Of Science

Public Health
Adolescent Health
Tobacco Control

Background

Growing concerns regarding minors' access to tobacco products online.
Limited research on internet-based tobacco sales to underage individuals compared to retail.
Need to assess the vulnerability of minors to online tobacco marketing and sales.

Purpose Of The Study

To quantify the percentage of online cigarette vendors selling to minors.
To investigate the accessibility of tobacco products for underage individuals via the internet.

Main Methods

Cross-sectional study conducted between April and July 2001.
Adolescents aged 11-15, supervised by adults, attempted 83 cigarette purchases from 55 internet vendors across 12 states.
Purchases were made using credit cards (47 attempts) and money orders (36 attempts).

Main Results

Minors successfully obtained cigarettes in 93.6% of credit card and 88.9% of money order purchases.
No age verification was conducted for any of the deliveries.
A total of 1650 packs of cigarettes were delivered to underage participants.

Conclusions

Internet cigarette vendors provide easy access to tobacco for minors.
Many online vendors exhibit inadequate or absent age verification processes.
The study underscores the urgent need for stricter regulations on online tobacco sales to prevent underage access.

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