Marked decline in retailer compliance after enactment of NYC's Tobacco 21 law

In a study examining compliance with NYC's law increasing legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 21, researchers found retailer compliance with ID checks significantly decreased since the law became effective. Prior to this change, 29 percent of retailers sampled were noncompliant; afterward, 38 percent of retailers sampled failed to ask for ID when selling cigarettes to young people. Researchers also examined new minimum price laws for cigarettes and discovered a similar pattern.