Limiting youth access to tobacco: The early impact of the Synar Amendment on Youth Smoking

Background: Cigarette smoking among youth has risen sharply during the 1990s. About 3,000 youths begin smoking each day and are becoming regular smokers earlier in adolescence. To counter this trend, policymakers have sought limits on youth access to tobacco through policies such as the Synar Amendment and FDA regulation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of these limits in reducing youth cigarette smoking.
Methods: Previous studies employed small community data sets that ignore issues such as nonrandom sample design, the potential for border-crossing, and statewide initiatives that can reinforce or counter local initiatives. This study examines the effects of limits on youth access on smoking behavior among a nationally representative sample of youths from the 1994 Monitoring the Future Project. Measures of cigarette prices, state and local tobacco control policies, retailer compliance, and the relative aggressiveness of state monitoring activities are added to the data to measure the availability of tobacco to youth. A two-part model of youth cigarette demand is estimated.
Results: This study finds that teens are less likely to smoke and smoke fewer cigarettes where: prices are higher; states earmark cigarette excise tax revenues for tobacco control activities; there are stronger restrictions on smoking in public places; and states adopt comprehensive and aggressive approaches to measuring retailer compliance with youth access laws.
Conclusions: The study suggests that aggressive and comprehensive approaches to limiting youth access will lead to significant reductions in youth smoking.