South Middlesex Times

Tobacco sales to underage consumers remain high in New Jersey despite federal legislation prohibiting such transactions, according to researchers at Rutgers Health and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from stores across New Jersey between August 2019 and September 2022.

Researchers randomly selected licensed tobacco retailers within a 25-mile radius of New Brunswick, N.J., sampling both high- and low-population density areas. They found that businesses sold tobacco products to underage purchasers nearly half the time—49.5%.

Mary Hrywna, principal investigator and associate professor at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies and Rutgers School of Public Health, commented on the findings: “Raising New Jersey’s tobacco age of sale to 21 was a significant milestone, but the results of our study suggest that effective implementation of the law continues to be challenging.”

The research involved buyers aged 18 to 20 making 2,663 purchase attempts at 70 different retailers for items like cigarettes, cigars, electronic cigarettes, and nicotine pouches. Under New Jersey law, it is illegal for retailers to sell these products to individuals under 21. Federal law mandates ID checks for anyone appearing under 30.

“We found that compliance with the law varied by store type and product type,” Hrywna stated. The study noted whether an ID was checked during each attempt and if electronic identification scanning was used. While not required by state or federal law, some retailers employ electronic ID scanning technology.

About 60% of purchase attempts involved an ID check; however, sales were completed in 15.3% of cases even after an ID check. Electronic ID scanning was used in 22.3% of attempts, leading to a much lower rate of underage sales (3.2%).

New Jersey raised its minimum purchasing age for tobacco products from 19 to 21 in 2017; this became a nationwide standard in 2019.

Drug stores had the highest odds of checking IDs compared with nonchain convenience stores which had lower odds than chain convenience stores. Purchases involving nicotine pouches were less likely to prompt an ID check than those involving cigarettes.

Amanda Kong from Wake Forest University School of Medicine highlighted future research directions: “We hope to be able to identify modifiable factors that can help inform regulatory efforts.” These insights aim at improving retailer education programs and overall compliance efforts to prevent youth tobacco use consistently.