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Revisiting the Effects of Tobacco Retailer Compliance Inspections on Youth Tobacco Use

Author

Listed:
  • Bo Feng

    (IMPAQ International)

  • Michael F. Pesko

    (Department of Economics, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University)

Abstract

We evaluate the effect of the first six years of the Food and Drug Administration's compliance check program, which includes underage buyer “sting” inspections, on youth cigarette purchasing and tobacco use patterns. Abouk and Adams (2017b) studied the first three years of the program using Monitoring the Future and found evidence that the program changed purchasing patterns and decreased cigarette use among underage 12th graders. We nearly triple the number of inspections we evaluate by studying the first six years of the program and find mostly null results. We also find null results when broadening the sample to include all underage youth and when using two additional data sources (National Youth Tobacco Survey and Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System). We speculate possible reasons for the program's ineffectiveness, including that underage decoys are prohibited from both lying about their age and using fake identification.

Suggested Citation

  • Bo Feng & Michael F. Pesko, 2019. "Revisiting the Effects of Tobacco Retailer Compliance Inspections on Youth Tobacco Use," American Journal of Health Economics, MIT Press, vol. 5(4), pages 509-532, Fall.
  • Handle: RePEc:tpr:amjhec:v:5:y:2019:i:4:p:509-532
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    File URL: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1162/ajhe_a_00131
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dhaval Dave & Bo Feng & Michael F. Pesko, 2019. "The effects of e‐cigarette minimum legal sale age laws on youth substance use," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(3), pages 419-436, March.
    2. A. Colin Cameron & Douglas L. Miller, 2015. "A Practitioner’s Guide to Cluster-Robust Inference," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(2), pages 317-372.
    3. Jin, Lawrence & Kenkel, Don & Liu, Feng & Wang, Hua, 2015. "Retrospective and Prospective Benefit-Cost Analyses of U.S. Anti-Smoking Policies 1," Journal of Benefit-Cost Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(1), pages 154-186, April.
    4. Raj Chetty, 2015. "Behavioral Economics and Public Policy: A Pragmatic Perspective," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 105(5), pages 1-33, May.
    5. Friedman, Abigail S., 2015. "How does electronic cigarette access affect adolescent smoking?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 300-308.
    6. Rhoads, Jennifer K., 2012. "The effect of comprehensive state tobacco control programs on adult cigarette smoking," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 393-405.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Michael F. Pesko & Casey Warman, 2022. "Re‐exploring the early relationship between teenage cigarette and e‐cigarette use using price and tax changes," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(1), pages 137-153, January.
    2. Michael F. Pesko, 2023. "Effects of e-cigarette minimum legal sales ages on youth tobacco use in the United States," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 66(3), pages 261-277, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    FDA's retail inspection; youth cigarette purchase; youth tobacco use;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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