Do Internet Cigarette Vendors Sell Cigarettes to Minors?
Kurt M. Ribisl, PhD, UNC School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, kurt_ribisl@unc.edu, Annice Kim, MPH, aekim@email.unc.edu, Rebecca Williams, MHS, rebecca.williams@unc.edu. Learning Objectives: Describe the sales practices of Internet cigarette vendors List a youth tobacco purchase survey protocol adapted for the Internet Abstract: Problem: The 2000 National Youth Tobacco survey found that 2.2% of high school students and 12.5% of middle school students reported purchasing cigarettes on the Internet. Although youth tobacco purchase studies have been conducted at retail outlets for over a decade, there are no published youth tobacco purchase studies from the Internet. Methods: During the summer of 2001, four youth attempted to purchase cigarettes via the Internet under adult supervision. Two youth were male and two were female; youth ranged in age from 11 to 15. Purchase attempts were made on 56 Web sites, and each youth purchased from approximately
