Teenagers were able to easily buy little cigars and cigarillos online, researchers found in a supervised experiment designed to test online vendors’ age verification practices.
In the journal Tobacco Regulatory Science, researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center reported teenagers successfully ordered little cigars and cigarillos—including flavored products—online in 89 of 91 attempts. Nearly 10 percent of vendors used no age verification practices and nearly 85 percent used “less effective” methods, they reported.
“Very few internet vendors used age verification strategies that prevented online sales of little cigars and cigarillos to underage teens,” said Rebecca Williams, PhD, MHS, a research associate at UNC Lineberger and director of the Internet Tobacco Vendors Study.
Federal law and product trends
Until 2019, minimum age requirements to buy tobacco has varied from state to state. A federal law enacted in December now prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21. When this study was conducted, the minimum age to buy tobacco in North Carolina was 18.
Increased taxes on cigarettes and bans on flavors for cigarettes and e-cigarettes were expected to cause an increase of sales of little cigars and cigarillos. Researchers reported that young people in particular have increasingly turned to little cigars and cigarillos as flavor bans have taken effect for other products, and adolescents and others can have the perception that little cigars and cigarillos are healthier than cigarettes.
In 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration extended its authority over cigars and cigarillos, requiring online vendors to comply with regulations for tobacco products, including age verification. While the agency didn’t specify details for verifying age, vendors are in violation if they sold to minors. In addition, the agency has announced its intention to ban the sale of flavored little cigars and cigarillos.
Experiment findings
To mirror research they’ve done for cigarettes and e-cigarettes in to test the accessibility of these tobacco products to underage teens online, Williams and her colleagues recruited 14 teenagers, aged 14 to 17 years, to try to buy little cigars and cigarillos from 100 different English-language online vendors between August to December of 2015. Teenagers were supervised by adult staff, and then answered the door for deliveries.
Of the 100 orders, nine were considered “invalid” because they failed for reasons unrelated to age verification – such as if the vendor charged for the product, but didn’t deliver anything. Of the remaining orders considered “valid,” 89 were successfully delivered. Age verification blocked only two orders.
Ten percent of the sites in the study didn’t use any age verification. Most, or 85 percent, used strategies that could not verify age, which included language indicating that by submitting their order, the buyer certifies that he or she is of legal age; providing a checkbox to indicate the buyer is of age; requiring the buyer to enter in his or her age; and stating the vendor only accepts credit card payment. Some vendors stated they verify age but didn’t indicate the technique for doing so.
There were 50.5 percent of vendors that used strategies that could potentially verify age, including checking date of birth, which could be checked against a public database, or requiring a driver’s license image. Vendors most commonly used date-of-birth checks as a potentially valid strategy.
Overall, their findings indicate that despite federal law designed to restrict youth access to flavored tobacco products, they are still available to teens in the form of little cigars and cigarillos from online vendors.
“Historically, sales of online tobacco products have been a real concern because of the high rates of sales to minors,” Williams said.
Authors and Disclosures
The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute.
Conflict of interest: Williams has served as an expert witness on the topic of Internet cigarette sales for the city and state of New York, and works with several states’ Attorney General offices consulting on issues related to Internet tobacco sales.
In addition to Williams, other authors included K. Jean Phillips-Weiner, BS, and Amy A. Vincus, MPH.