LAYING DOWN THE LAW - REDUCING ILLEGAL TOBACCO SALES TO MINORS IN CENTRAL HARLEM

Objectives. This study compared the impact of educational and enforcem ent interventions in retailers' sale of tobacco to miners in Central H arlem, New York.Methods. Tn a randomized trial with repeated measures, 152 stores were randomly divided into control, education, and enforce ment groups. Results. Overall tobacco sales to 12- and 13-year-old min ers at baseline (98%) ere among the highest in the nation. At 6-month and 1-year follow-ups, decreases in rates of tobacco sales to miners w ere modest among education stores and substantial among enforcement st ores. Conclusions. Effective reduction of tobacco sales to miners may require ongoing enforcement measures, including fines for retailers wh o violate state and local laws.