Youth tobacco sales-to-minors and possession-use-purchase laws: a public health controversy.

Full Abstract

Tobacco use among youth remains one of our nation's most significant public health problems, and yet available evidence from prevention and cessation person-centered approaches has been mixed. Given these disappointing outcomes, some have recommended more public health approaches, and these include tobacco sales-to-minors and possession-use-purchase laws. While community members and police officials have endorsed these types of public health initiatives, many within the public health community have been either guarded or even oppositional to such approaches. The primary reasons for this controversy are reviewed in this article. Outcome studies indicate that sales-to-minors laws can be an effective step toward the reduction of youth access to commercial sources of tobacco. However, even with these laws in place, many youth indicate that they continue to have easy access to tobacco, often by means of social sources. Advocates of these approaches have argued that more comprehensive public health interventions are needed, such as programs that combine youth access and possession-use-purchase laws. This article reviews the ongoing debate behind these types of public health efforts, and examines the evidence of such programs to reduce youth tobacco use.

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Author information

Author/s: Jason, Leonard A (LA); Pokorny, Steven B (SB); Muldowney, Kathleen (K); Velez, Melissa (M);

Affiliation: Center for Community Research, DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. ljason(-atsign-)depaul.edu

Grants: CA80288 (Agency:NCI NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Journal of drug education (J Drug Educ), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2005-; vol 35 (issue 4) : pp 275-90

Dates: Created 2006/08/16; Completed 2006/09/12; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 16910240, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Child
Commerce - legislation & jurisprudence
Humans
Law Enforcement

Minors
Prevalence
Public Health - legislation & jurisprudence
Smoking - epidemiology; legislation & jurisprudence; prevention & control
Tobacco

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