Accessibility of tobacco products to youths aged 12-17 years--United States, 1989 and 1993.

Although the sale of tobacco products to minors is illegal in all states and the District of Columbia, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adolescents has continued to increase, and most minors are able to purchase tobacco products. Reducing sales to minors is believed to be an effective measure for reducing the prevalence of tobacco use. To determine recent patterns of minors' access to tobacco products from retail outlets and vending machines, data were analyzed from the 1989 and 1993 Teenage Attitudes and Practices surveys (TAPS I and TAPS II). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicate that most minors who use tobacco purchase their own tobacco and that small stores are the sources of most purchases.