Jr. Difranza et al., YOUTH ACCESS TO TOBACCO - THE EFFECTS OF AGE, GENDER, VENDING MACHINELOCKS, AND ITS THE LAW PROGRAMS, American journal of public health, 86(2), 1996, pp. 221-224
Objectives. This study evaluated the influence of age, gender, vending
machine lockout devices, and tobacco industry-sponsored voluntary com
pliance programs (''It's the Law'' programs) on underage youths' abili
ty to purchase tobacco. Methods. Twelve youths made 480 attempts to pu
rchase tobacco in Massachusetts from over-the-counter retailers and ve
nding machines with and without remote control lockout devices. Half t
he vendors were participating in If's the Law programs. Results. In co
mmunities with no requirements for lockout devices, illegal sales were
far more likely from vending machines than from over-the-counter sour
ces (odds ratio [OR] = 5.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.3, 10.3),
Locks on vending machines made them equivalent to over-the-counter so
urces in terms of illegal sales to youths. Vendors participating in It
's the Law programs were as likely to make illegal sales as nonpartici
pants (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.57, 1.35). Girls and youths 16 years of a
ge and older were more successful at purchasing tobacco, Conclusions.
The It's the Law programs are ineffective in preventing illegal sales.
While locks made vending machines equivalent to over-the-counter sour
ces in their compliance with the law, they are not a substitute for la
w enforcement.