Tobacco Retail Licensing and Youth Product Use

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Restricting youth access to tobacco is a central feature of US tobacco regulatory policy, but impact of local tobacco retail licensing (TRL) regulation on cigarette smoking rates remains uncertain. Effects of TRL on other tobacco product use and use as adolescents reach the age to legally purchase tobacco products has not been investigated. METHODS: Prevalences of ever and past 30-day cigarette, electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), cigar, and hookah use were assessed in a survey of a cohort of 1553 11th-and 12th-grade adolescents (mean age: 17.3 years); rates of initiation were evaluated 1.5 years later. An American Lung Association (2014) youth access grade was assigned to each of 14 political jurisdictions in which participants lived on the basis of the strength of the local TRL ordinance. RESULTS: At baseline, participants living in 4 jurisdictions with "A" grades (ie, with most restrictive ordinances) had lower odds of ever cigarette use (odds ratio [OR] 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.41-0.90) and of past 30-day use (OR 0.51; 95% CI 0.29-0.89) than participants in 10 D-to F-grade jurisdictions. At follow-up at legal age of purchase, lower odds of cigarette use initiation (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.45-0.99) occurred in jurisdictions with stronger TRL policy. Lower odds of e-cigarette initiation at follow-up (OR 0.74; 95% CI 0.55-0.99) and of initiation with past 30-day use (OR 0.45; 95% CI 0.23-0.90) were also associated with better regulation.

Association of Electronic Cigarette Regulations With Electronic Cigarette Use Among Adults in the United States

“…We also observed an association of retail license requirements with a lower rate of e-cigarette use in adults. The retail license requirement as a strategy to regulate e-cigarettes has aroused public attention, because a recent study 42 found that youth who live in areas with strong tobacco vendor licensing requirements have lower rates of tobacco use and e-cigarette use. However, federal law does not require retailers to have a license to sell e-cigarettes, 31 and fewer than one-third of states require e-cigarette retailers to be licensed.…”

E-cigarette Retail Licensing Policy and E-cigarette Use Among Adolescents

“…Similar to past findings showing that retail access laws are associated with a reduction in tobacco sales and retailer density [12e15], e-cigarette retail licensing may be a useful policy tool to reduce e-cigarette use among adolescents. In a prior study, Astor et al [16] found that 11th and 12th grade adolescents living in jurisdictions with the most restrictive ordinances on tobacco products had lower odds of cigarette use compared with those living in areas with less strict tobacco retail licensing regulations. Another study hypothesized that tobacco retailer licensing policies might allow for more effective enforcement because such laws require a current list of tobacco vendors [17].…”

Development of a tobacco 21 policy assessment tool and state-level analysis in the USA, 2015–2019

“…Prior research has demonstrated that requiring businesses to obtain a TRL reduces the number of businesses that sell tobacco products 47 and reduces daily smoking rates by 2% for each 1% increase in retailer compliance. 19…”