Posted on 10/11/2002 4:38:43 AM PDT by chance33_98
Tougher Cigarette Laws Turn Minors Into Thieves CDC Says Restricting Access Is Not Simple
POSTED: 4:13 p.m. EDT October 10, 2002
ATLANTA -- A Texas study suggests more youngsters are stealing cigarettes since the state cracked down on the sale of tobacco to minors.
The findings, released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggest that restricting access to cigarettes is not as simple as getting rid of vending machines and stiffening penalties for stores that sell to youngsters, said Terry Pechacek, a CDC expert on smoking.
In 1998 and 1999, Texas passed tougher laws against selling tobacco to minors, limited vending machines to bars and required stores to check the IDs of anyone who looks younger than 27.
The Texas survey interviewed students at 214 middle and high schools before and after the crackdown.
After the crackdown, fewer youngsters reported buying cigarettes from stores and vending machines, and more of them said they stole tobacco or got it from an older person.
Middle school smokers who reported buying cigarettes from a store dropped from 13.2 percent to 5.3 percent in 1999. Those who reported stealing cigarettes went from 8.3 percent to 12.3 percent.
High school students were less affected by the new laws, according to the study. About the same number of smokers - one in three - reported buying from stores before the laws were passed and a year later. A total of 3.8 percent reported stealing cigarettes in 1998, 3.3 percent in 1999.
Both middle school and high school students were also slightly more likely to borrow cigarettes from someone else or get them from an older person after the laws were passed.
The CDC said school prevention efforts and anti-smoking ads are just as important as restricted access in keeping children away from tobacco.
"Our efforts need to go beyond the straightforward restriction of sales," Pechacek said. "Most young smokers will shift to noncommercial sources for cigarettes, so we have to broaden our efforts to get the whole community involved."
About 10 percent of all underage smokers in the survey said older people gave them cigarettes.
"We can't just put this all on the retailers," Pechacek said.
If I remember correctly this was predicted along with an underground cigarette trade. Ah! Those politicians they just keep on screwing things up.
Seriously, you are probably right in the long term.
The UN, through their health arm WHO, is working on eventually outlawing tobacco all together. When you prohibit something that has been commonly used for centuries there will almost ALWAYS be a black market.
And yes, I am the 1tin_soldier who rode away after the people of the valley killed the rich folk in the castle and were left with a stone inscribed with the message, "Peace on Earth". I sing it to my liberal friends all the time......
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