Q&A with Principal Investigator Rebecca Williams
During nearly two decades studying the online sales of tobacco products, uncovering the ways internet tobacco vendors get around government oversight.
Author Archive: Michael Triplett
ITS - VC - CIO
Despite Regulation, Minors Can Still Buy Cigarettes Online
In a new study, online vendors shipped cigarettes to minors via the U.S. Postal Service. Many also advertised products banned in the United States. Many regulations seek to curtail youth access to cigarettes and discourage tobacco vendors from marketing their products to minors. These include federal age verification requirements, shipping regulations, and bans on certain […]
Investigating E-Cigarette Packaging (And Finding It Lacking)
As the electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) industry continues to grow, minors are using e-cigarettes at higher rates than they are using cigarettes. To date, minimal regulation of the production and marketing of these products has allowed companies to ship e-cigarettes to minors and promote unsupported claims. In this study, researchers ordered e-cigarettes from online vendors and […]
Reaction to Major FDA Regulatory Announcement
ITV study director Rebecca S. Williams, Ph.D., applauds the FDA’s decision to extend its authority over all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.
Williams Speaks to Tobacco Control Legal Consortium
ITV study PI Dr. Rebecca Williams presented research and regulatory recommendations related to Internet-based tobacco sales
Online E-liquid Vendors Fail to Prevent Sales to Minors
Across the United States, online vendors of e-liquids – the nicotine-rich fluids that fuel electronic cigarettes – are failing to take proper precautions in preventing sales to minors, according to a study by the University of California, Irvine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers found that only four of 120 vendors […]
Search Queries Reflect Rising E-Cigarette Popularity
Electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigarettes,” have rapidly become more popular in recent years. In this study, researchers tracked Internet searches related to e-cigarettes and vaping to gain insights about the public’s perception and interest in electronic nicotine delivery systems. The study follows up on research published in 2011, which showed a substantial increase in search queries […]
“Light” and Flavored Tobacco Available Online Despite Bans
In an effort to curb misleading advertising and discourage smoking among young people, the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act created new restrictions on cigarette manufacturing and marketing. This study, which assessed compliance with these restrictions among Internet-based tobacco vendors, found high rates of noncompliance, particularly among vendors based outside the United […]
Despite Law, Cigarettes Sold Cheap and Tax-Free Online
Many tobacco control efforts focus on raising prices and taxes as a way to discourage smoking for public health benefits. But previous research has shown that these efforts can be undermined by online tobacco vendors, who often advertise selling cigarettes “tax-free” and at prices lower than can be found in brick-and-mortar retail outlets. In this […]
VapeCons: E-cigarette User Conventions
The growing popularity of e-cigarettes has given rise to VapeCons, or ‘vaping conventions,’ events at which e-cigarette users socialize, try new products, connect with vendors and get free samples. This study is the first to systematically describe vaping conventions to raise awareness of this practice and its potential public health implications. Key Findings Google […]
Internet Cigarette Vendor Compliance with Credit Card Payment and Shipping Bans
Online cigarette vendors have long been known to violate taxation and youth access laws. This led to a pair of voluntary agreements in 2005 that limit how people can purchase and receive cigarettes from online vendors. One agreement bans the processing of credit card payments for tobacco purchased online. The other bans the delivery of […]
E-Cigarette Study Attracts National Attention
Since our study found underage minors can buy e-cigarettes online, a group of U.S. Senators have urged stronger tobacco and e-cigarette regulation.
Electronic Cigarette Sales to Minors via the Internet
A research study reveals underage minors can buy electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) online. What might this mean for e-cigarette regulation?
Internet Cigarette Sales and Native American Sovereignty
Cigarettes are often sold tax-free on the Internet by companies claiming affiliation with Native American tribes. These vendors can offer substantially lower cigarette prices than are available elsewhere because they allow consumers to circumvent the excise taxes that many states impose to curtail smoking. This study examines the historical policy context and public health ramifications […]
Effectiveness of State and Federal Government Agreements with Major Credit Card and Shipping Companies to Block Illegal Internet Cigarette Sales
Cigarettes available online are often sold tax-free and can easily fall into the hands of minors. In a 2005 effort to better enforce tax and youth access laws, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and several state Attorneys General signed voluntary agreements with major credit card and shipping companies to ban payment […]
Tracking the Rise in Popularity of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (Electronic Cigarettes) Using Search Query Surveillance
Electronic nicotine delivery systems, also known as electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, have become more popular in recent years. These battery-powered devices deliver nicotine or other substances via a vapor that is inhaled by the user. This 2011 study assesses the popularity of e-cigarettes, which are heavily marketed online, by tracking online search queries in the […]
A Comprehensive Review of State Laws Governing Internet and Other Delivery Sales of Cigarettes in the United States
All U.S. states regulate face-to-face sales of cigarettes at retail outlets, but those regulations rarely extend to cigarettes sold online or through the mail. The growth of Internet and mail-order tobacco sales led to new state regulations designed to prevent tax evasion and illegal sales to minors. This paper offers a comprehensive review of such […]
Sales and Marketing of Cigarettes on the Internet: Emerging Threats to Tobacco Control and Promising Policy Solutions
The nation has made tremendous progress in reducing tobacco use, yet tobacco-related illnesses and death continue to place a huge burden on our society. In its 2007 report Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation, the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Reducing Tobacco Use: Strategies, Barriers, and Consequences offered a blueprint for the […]
Smokers’ Beliefs and Attitudes about Purchasing Cigarettes on the Internet
Research shows that raising the price of cigarettes is an effective public health measure because it reduces cigarette consumption and deters people from starting smoking. As a result, many states have increased cigarette excise taxes, substantially raising cigarette prices at retail stores. However, Internet-based vendors often circumvent these taxes by selling cigarettes “tax-free.” This study […]
Internet Cigarette Vendors’ Lack of Compliance with a California State Law Designed to Prevent Tobacco Sales to Minors
When it was enacted in 2002, California’s law BP § 22963 was one of the country’s most stringent laws restricting minors’ ability to buy cigarettes online. Its six provisions were designed to make it difficult for Internet-based cigarette vendors to sell cigarettes to minors by imposing new age verification requirements, delivery processes, minimum order sizes, […]
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