Jason, L., Billows, W., Schnopp-Wyatt, D., & King, C. (1996).
Reducing the illegal sales of cigarettes to minors: Analysis of alternative enforcement schedules.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
29, 333-344.
The majority of adolescent smokers are able to purchase
cigarettes even though laws prohibit the sale of cigarettes to
minors (Radecki & Zdunich, 1993). The present study focused
on merchant licensing, civil penalties, and monitoring of
merchant behavior. Several different schedules of enforcement in
the city of Chicago were evaluated to determine the optimal
schedules to reduce the sale of cigarettes to minors in a major
metropolitan area. Schedules of 2, 4, and 6 months were effective
in reducing illegal sales, from 86% to 19%, 87% to 34%, and 87%
to 42%, respectively. In a control condition, illegal sales
remained high (approximately 84%). Cigarette control laws that
regularly enforce civil penalties for tobacco sales violations
can successfully reduce minors' access to cigarettes.
DESCRIPTORS: adolescents, smoking, community-based interventions,
health promotion, multielement design