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Evaluation of an enforcement program to reduce tobacco sales to minors
K M Cummings1, A Hyland, T Saunders-Martin
1Department of Cancer Control and Epidemiology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA. mcummings@sc3102.med.buffalo.edu
Objectives:
This study evaluated an active enforcement program to increase retailers' compliance with the law prohibiting tobacco sales to minors.
Methods:
Tobacco sales to minors were monitored in 319 outlets in 6 pairs of communities in Erie County, New York. One community in each pair was randomly assigned to an enforcement intervention.
Results:
Retailers' compliance with the law increased from 35% in 1994 to 73% in 1995. However, the change in compliance rates was roughly the same for stores in the enforcement and nonenforcement communities.
Conclusions:
Active compliance checking of retail outlets as a strategy to reduce illegal tobacco sales to minors may only be necessary insofar as it contributes to an increase in retailers' perception that the threat of enforcement is real.