UNC study shows Internet offers youths easy way to buy ...( and dropped written orders in the mail ...),Health

The minors ordered Marlboros, the most popular brand among underage smokers, unless they were not available, in which case volunteers ordered the cheapest brands.

"The Internet vendors were located in 12 states, and these high rates of Internet cigarette sales to minors are reminiscent of rates observed in compliance checks at retail outlets more than a decade ago when there was little enforcement of youth access laws," Ribisl wrote. "New methods of verifying the age of consumers need to be identified and tested for effective prevention of online tobacco sales to minors."

A separate study Ribisl led, funded by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, identified 353 Internet cigarette vendors in January 2003, he said. U.S. Internet tobacco sales will exceed $5 billion in 2005, according to a recent estimate by Forrester Research.

Cigarette smoking is the nation's leading cause of premature sickness and death, Ribisl said. More than 47 million adults and 4 million teen-agers smoke. Annual sales of tobacco products top $40 billion.

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Contact: David Williamson
919-962-8596
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
9-Sep-2003