EnglishTest your IQ level – A or B?
Investigations reveal that US local stores sell cigarettes to minors
While public opinion persists in being against on line cigarettes sales, deemed to be a viable way for youngsters to obtain cigarettes, in Long Beach (CA) the rate of success by youngsters attempts at purchasing cigarettes in local stores has hit 36%. And in case of failure in one store, the minor one can walk right into the next one.
This means that to a youngster in Long Beach needs to try three times on average before being successful at purchasing cigarettes at the local stores without any problems.
If you were a minor, how would you go about buying cigarettes: A or B?
A) Internet
1. It requires a credit card, which has to be taken from an adult;
2. waiting time can vary from 4 to 28 days;
3. the package can be intercepted by the parents;
4. the payment will show up on the credit card statement and it will be inevitably discovered by the parents.
B) Local store
1. It is sufficient to have cash;
2. delivery is immediate;
3. there is no trace of the operation;
4. anonymity and no consequences.
While large stores self-police, and may even fire an employee for selling tobacco to minors, in light of statistics that show 36 percent of sales are to kids, talk about how they all support the idea of not selling to kids is a toothless gesture. For many small stores, tobacco sales provide the majority of their profit.
Yesterday: Investigations on online cigarettes' sales
One day someone said that minors were buying cigarettes via internet?
January 13, 2005: so said the press reporting the investigation led in Oregon which was trying to demonstrate that minors were buying cigarettes via internet:
"The indictment culminates a six-month long investigation by the Oregon Tobacco Tax Compliance Task Force, a cooperative effort between the Oregon Department of Revenue, the Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Justice."
"During this investigation, undercover officers and juveniles with law enforcement supervision made purchases of cigarettes from Internet sites owned and operated by Otamedia S.A" (Yesmoke).
March 16, 2005: notwithstanding the fact that this investigation exclusively proved that youngsters know how to use internet, the attempt was successful:
"The agreement, worked out by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the major credit card companies and states attorneys general will prevent the use of credit cards to buy cigarettes over the Internet".
May 13, 2005: If a youngster orders cigarettes over the Internet, the deliveryman who drops off the package would face a $500 fine under legislation approved by the state Senate on Thursday. The bill by Sen. Tim Burchett, R-Knoxville, was approved despite vigorous opposition to the penalty provisions by representatives of Memphis-based Federal Express Corp. and United Parcel Service.
Today: Investigations on local stores
12 high school students volunteered in a youth purchase survey coordinated by Long Beach's Department of Health and Human Services' Tobacco Education Program, the Coalition for a Smoke-Free Long Beach, and Cal State Fullerton's social science research center. The groups hope to draw attention to what they say has been a persistent problem.
From December 2004 to January, the teens attempted to buy tobacco products from 266 retail stores doughnut shops, supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations spread across the city. Cashiers from 96 stores sold them cigarettes, despite knowing they are underage. That's a citywide rate of 36.1 percent, compared to California's average of 14 percent, said Greg Robinson of CSUF's social science research center.
The study also revealed that:
- Illegal sales vary among store types. The highest occurrences of such sales happen in doughnut shops topping the list at 66.7 percent with gas stations following at 57.9 percent and pharmacies at 44.4 percent.
- The lowest occurrence of underage tobacco sales are in supermarkets, at 23.5 percent, and tobacco stores, at 14.3 percent.
- The younger the sales clerk, the more likely they are to sell tobacco to underage youth.
- Less than a quarter of the stores the teens visited asked for their ages.
- Seven out of 10 tobacco retail outlets asked teens for their IDs. They were still able to buy tobacco products in 40 stores.
"I was able to walk into a tobacco store," said Francisco Martinez, another student volunteer. "I found that very interesting. You have to be 18 to enter. (The clerk) looked at it (ID) and still sold me the cigarettes."
Some retailers might be more motivated by profits, rather than keeping the law, said Cambodian Association of America president Him Chim. For the last decade, he has done his share of tobacco education.
"People are more motivated to make money than not selling to kids," he said.
Why is internet considered responsible for the sale to minors?
"This agreement will significantly curtail cigarette sales over the Internet, to the advantage of the major cigarette manufacturers." Prudential Equity group said Internet retailers also negatively impact major manufacturers by actively "down-trading consumers" to bargain cigarette brands.
Via internet a minor cannot order if he does not have a credit card, additionally it is useless to take it from a parent as the purchase would show up on the credit card statement and it would be automatically discovered.
Logically speaking, internet should be promoted by anti-smoking organizations as the only place where buying smokes is allowed, this way cigarettes could not be bought by minors.
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