REDUCING THE ILLEGAL SALES OF CIGARETTES TO MINORS - ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVE ENFORCEMENT SCHEDULES

The majority of adolescent smokers are able to purchase cigarettes eve n though laws prohibit the sale of cigarettes to miners (Radecki & Zdu nich, 1993). The present study focused on merchant licensing, civil pe nalties, and monitoring of merchant behavior. Several different schedu les of enforcement in the city of Chicago were evaluated to determine the optimal schedules to reduce the sale of cigarettes to miners in a major metropolitan area. Schedules of 2, 4, and 6 months were effectiv e in reducing illegal sales, from 86% to 19%, 87% to 34%, and 87% to 4 2%, respectively. In a control condition, illegal sales remained high (approximately 84%). Cigarette control laws that regularly enforce civ il penalties for tobacco sales violations can successfully reduce mine rs' access to cigarettes.