More Teens Expected to
Buy Cigarettes Online
Excerpt By Suzanne Rostler, Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A growing number of Web sites selling cigarettes could challenge efforts to limit smoking among US adolescents, researchers conclude.

Their study found that while just 2% of more than 17,000 high school students surveyed said they had attempted to buy cigarettes on the Internet, this number could rise as the number of Web sites selling tobacco-related products is expected to rise.

``We need to prevent anyone from selling or giving cigarettes to our nation's youth,'' Dr. Jennifer Unger, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health. ``Every year, more teens are using the Internet and more tobacco retailers are selling cigarettes online. We need to be proactive and enact regulations now to prevent Web sites from selling cigarettes to minors.''

The authors cite a recent study that found a total of 90 Web sites were selling cigarettes in 23 US states. The majority of these sites did not require any proof of age; just 8% of vendors said they required photo identification when the cigarettes were delivered. Another report revealed that children as young as 9 years were able to buy tobacco products easily online.

The new survey was given to 10th and 12th grade public school students in California during the 1999-2000 academic year. The average age of smokers was 16 years, and just over 2% of smokers said they had attempted to purchase cigarettes online. Younger students, males, frequent smokers and those who thought they were less likely to make a purchase at retail stores were more likely to try to buy cigarettes on the Internet, findings show.

Indeed, most of the smokers said they had no problems buying cigarettes in stores--fewer than 25% said merchants had requested identification or denied them cigarettes in the past month.

``Adolescents may turn to the Internet as an alternative source of cigarettes if they are unsuccessful in obtaining them from friends or retail stores,'' explain Unger, from the University of Southern California in Alhambra, and colleagues.

Further research into the proportion of successful Internet tobacco purchases, the amount of tobacco purchased, the frequency of Internet cigarette purchases and the most popular brands bought online could help develop policies that prevent youth access to cigarettes through the Internet.

In an accompanying editorial Dr. Joanna Cohen from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada and colleagues suggest that regulations for the sale of tobacco-related products online ``should, at a minimum, keep up with activity regarding alcohol an prescription drug Web sites.''

They add, ``delay in regulating tobacco e-commerce could be deleterious to the public's health.''

SOURCE: Tobacco Control 2001;10:364-367.

Reference Source 89

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