Assessing tobacco retailer compliance with flavoured tobacco product sales restrictions: a cross-sectional study of four California cities

Abstract

Background Governments are passing laws to restrict the sale of flavoured tobacco products (FTPs), but retailer compliance with such policies may vary. This study compared tobacco retailer compliance with local ordinances restricting the sale of FTPs across various localities in Southern California.Methods Attempts to purchase FTPs from a random sample of tobacco retailers in a convenience sample of four cities in Southern California with FTP sales restrictions were made from June to August 2022. Trained shoppers of legal tobacco purchasing age entered tobacco retailers and purchased prohibited FTPs if they were on display or asked salespersons for menthol cigarettes or a flavoured e-cigarette, completing purchases if they were made available.Results Among 141 stores, 39.9% of stores were non-compliant with local ordinances. Non-compliance varied by city, occurring in 49.3%, 43.8%, 15.4% and 0% of stores across four cities. The highest proportion of non-compliance was among vape or tobacco shops (91.2%) followed by convenience and liquor stores (36.4%), grocery stores and pharmacies (15.4%), and gas stations (13.5%).Conclusion Prior to California’s statewide sales restriction on flavoured tobacco, compliance with local sales restrictions was variable across cities and store types.