Sources of tobacco for youths in communities with strong enforcement of youth access laws

Aim-To determine how youths obtain tobacco in communities with strong enforcement of tobacco sales laws. Setting-Ten communities in Massachusetts with merchant compliance rates at or above 90%. Methods-Paper surveys and focus group discussions with 68 adolescent smokers. Results-Parents and friends;are the primary sources of tobacco for new smokers. When stealing from parents can no longer satisfy the need :for cigarettes, young adolescents ask strangers! to buy them tobacco. For high school age smokers, teenage store clerks are a major source. Teenage clerks sell to other teenagers, steal tobacco, and help their friends steal from their employers. Friends who are 18 years of age or over are a second major source for older adolescents. Parents often purchase tobacco for older adolescents. Conclusion-Recommended actions include raising the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco to 21 years, and prohibiting individuals less than 21 years of age from selling tobacco.