Prevention Works!

Limiting Youth Access to Tobacco with the Synar Amendment

It’s a problem as close as the nearest cigarette vending machine. Tobacco use among the young is on the rise, with a notable increase in new smokers who are 13- and 14-year-olds. Today, approximately 3,000 children and young adults under 18 will begin smoking. With easy access to cigarettes and other tobacco products, this group buys over 500 million packs of cigarettes each year.

Studies suggest that adolescent experimentation with tobacco can have serious consequences. Some youth establish smoking patterns that can lead to nicotine addiction¾ increasing their risk of developing life-long and life-threatening smoking-related health problems. According to the 1991 DHHS National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, most longtime smokers begin using tobacco before they turn 18. Data indicate that about one in three young people who begin smoking in adolescence will die from a smoking-related disease (FDA 1996).

The Synar Amendment requires States to develop laws barring the distribution of tobacco products to minors. The legislation, named after its congressional sponsor Mike Synar, emphasizes consistent enforcement, monitoring of retail outlets’ compliance, and communication of results.

The goal of the Synar Amendment is that by fiscal year 2002 a minor attempting to purchase tobacco will be able to do so less than 20 percent of the time. Four States have already achieved rates at or below 20 percent. States that fail to comply with the Synar Amendment risk losing between 10 and 40 percent of Federal block grant funds allocated for substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, depending on the fiscal year involved.

Controlling youth access to tobacco is most successful when legislation, media campaigns, merchant education, and community support are combined. Programs must be clear on their goals, audience, and message, and enforcement must be consistent.

In the future, researchers plan to use collected data to determine how the Synar Amendment is affecting the rate of tobacco sales to youth, the rate at which young people start to smoke, and the amount of tobacco products they use. It is hoped that Synar--in conjunction with other legislative and policy efforts, prevention education plans, and media advocacy¾ will help youth in communities across the Nation grow up tobacco-free.

To receive a complimentary copy of this PreventionAlert, call SAMSHA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) @ 1-800-729-6686, TDD 1-800-487-4889 (for the hearing impaired.) PREVENTIONAlert is supported by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and may be copied without permission with appropriate citation. For information about PREVENTIONAlert, please contact CSAP by phone (301) 443-0581 or e-mail gensley@samhsa.gov

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