WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - It is easy for adolescents ages 14 and younger to purchase cigarettes illegally in the state of North Carolina, according to a recent study published in the October edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health, by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
According to the study, 22.8 percent of middle school students have smoked within the past 30 days and 39 percent of these smokers had purchased their cigarettes from a store.
"Only 14 percent of smokers who had purchased cigarettes had been asked for proof of their age," said Robert H. DuRant, Ph.D., vice chair in the Department of Pediatrics, director of the Brenner Center for Child and Adolescent Health and an author of the study. "This suggests to me that the laws do not appear to be working. Not being asked for proof of age when purchasing cigarettes was associated with an earlier age of onset of smoking and these youth also smoked more."
According to current North Carolina laws, you must be 18 years of age to purchase cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. In 1996, the laws were modified to include that photo identification was required to purchase tobacco products. "One of the most disturbing facts we discovered is that we are not dealing with high school students here - or students where you aren't sure if they are 18 years of age - we are talking about 11 to 14 year-olds, who obviously aren't old enough to smoke," DuRant added.
However, the study also showed that adolescents who were asked for proof
of age and denied purchasing cigarettes smoked fewer cigarettes and for less
days.
"This is positive, because it suggests that if the current laws are
enforced then they could be effective," DuRant said. "They could help prevent
young adolescents from smoking, decreasing the numbers of regular smokers who
become addicted and continue to smoke as adults. Most smokers become addicted as
adoles
'"/>
Contact: Jim Steele
jsteele@wfubmc.edu
336-716-4587
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
2-Oct-1999