Does raising the minimum legal age for cigarette purchases reduce youth access? A pilot test of New York City's new law

Background: New York City has been a leader in aggressively regulating smoking, yet progress in reducing smoking over the last five years has stalled. Currently, about 8% of New York City young people under the age of 18 are smokers, a rate that has stayed steady since 2007. In October 2013, The New York City Council passed legislation to raise the age for cigarette purchase from 18 to 21, effective May 2014. However, while “sting” operations have been used to prosecute vendors who have been identified as failing to comply with the law, regular systematic monitoring of compliance through observing sales not been undertaken. In advance of the change in the law, this study tests how consistently young people are asked for ID at time of purchase.

Methods:  Youthfully dressed adult female investigators 18-20 years old were deployed February-March 2014 to purchase cigarettes from 500 randomly selected vendors thoroughout NYC, stratified by borough. When purchasing, investigators observed whether vendors requested ID prior to the sale.

Results: Results from multivariable logistic regression analyses will estimate the relative likelihood of request for ID across New York City. Independent variables include neighborhood income, type of vendor, and proximity to local public and private high schools. Qualitative information regarding sales will be used to further interpret results.

Conclusion: This study provides essential information for policymakers seeking to use changes to minimum age of purchase laws to reduce smoking among young people by assessing general compliance with tobacco sales laws.