Strong reduction in Tobacco sales to Teenagers

People under 18 years old spend a little amount of money for buying tobacco products, reported researchers.

Statistics show that the national rate of tobacco sales to minors for fiscal 2008 was 9.9%, compared with 16.3% in 2002 and 40.1% in 1997.

States that don't accomplish with the law may face a 40% reduction in their Federal Substance Abuse and Prevention Treatment Block Grant funding, the report said. "States are relating the lowest rate of tobacco sales to youth in the 12 years since the Synar program. There has been a substantial reduction in retailers selling tobacco to youth," explained Susan Marsiglia Gray, National Synar program coordinator.

To be in compliance with Synar, states have to conduct annual, unannounced examination of retailers by sending minors into stores to buy tobacco products. Synar Program is important to youth tobacco prevention.

Officials then calculate the state's retailer violation rate based on the number of retailers that sell to minors during the inspections. The 9.9% is the average retailer violation rate of all 50 states and D.C.

Ms. Gray said that changing social norms surrounding tobacco use by young people has helped bring retailer violation rates down. "We advocate that in order to actually reduce access to tobacco products, states need to have a comprehensive approach," she added. That includes tactics such as specifying a specific agency to supervise smoking control programs.

However decreasing youth access to tobacco products is important, other programs, including smoking cessation and clean indoor air legislation, also are needful for to reduce young people's use of tobacco products.

Danny McGoldrick, vice president of research for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, approved the fell in sales to minors but warned about state reductions on spending for tobacco control."We need to continue this good work and can't let cuts to state programs undercut this progress," McGoldrick said.