Focus groups of experts provide insights on T21

Focus groups of experts provide insights on T21

A nationwide group of 31 tobacco control stakeholders participated in focus groups about the implementation, enforcement, and equity implications of the federal Tobacco 21 law. The experts had experience in policy, evaluation, and implementation and participated in focus groups convened in 2021. Participants shared insights from their communities and highlighted barriers to enforcement, saying current deterrents might not be effective. They noted that vape and tobacco shops, as well as online sales were major enforcement challenges. “To strengthen T21 and mitigate potential exacerbation of existing health inequities, greater alignment of federal, state, and local efforts to reduce heterogeneity of implementation and enforcement of the T21 law is recommended,” the authors concluded. Read the paper.