The focus groups investigated in detail how teens obtain their cigarettes. Not one participant said they had difficulty getting cigarettes, despite the fact that by law, purchasers must be 19 years or older. The variety of options open to teens are discussed below.

Other people make the purchase - Many teens under 19 years of age get other people to purchase cigarettes for them. These people may be older siblings, older friends, friends who happen to look 19 or strangers outside stores who they approach to make the purchase. Lastly, some teens have parents who will purchase their cigarettes. This option is the most used purchase approach for teens 12 to 15 years of age or older teens who look especially young.

Purchasing for parents - Similarly, some teens obtain a note from their parents or forge a note saying they are purchasing cigarettes for their parents. Others just tell the store that they are buying it for their parents. This approach is most used by teens 12 to 15 years of age or older teens who look especially young.

Purchase themselves - Teens closer to the age of 19, or those who appear to be so, are more likely to purchase the cigarettes themselves. For some the issue of having to show identification does not arise due to the fact that they look older than they are. Many have found that an older "attitude" is all that is necessary to prove they are of age. Part of this "attitude" or confidence is having on the tip of your tongue a birth date which corresponds to the age criteria. One participant even discovered that using a foreign accent works well.

Selecting the right store - The most common practice used to ensure the smooth purchase of cigarettes among these older teens or older looking is avoiding stores where it is known that identification is regularly checked. Instead, these teens frequent stores which are known not to check for identification. For example, teens avoid 7-Eleven Food Stores since they are very strict about checking cigarette buyer’s identification. However, teens say that smaller, non-chain convenience stores, especially those run by immigrants, do not ask for identification. However, there is a certain protocol to be followed in these non-chain stores: teens only go into the store when there are no other customers and discreetly hide the pack of cigarettes from view until they are a reasonable distance from the store.

The advanced survey found that teens have a lower level of agreement than the general population with the policy of people being at least 19 years of age before they can legally buy tobacco products (70% vs. 83%). Focus group participants stated the illogical position it created in that you can legally possess the product and use it before the age of 19 but cannot purchase it. Focus group participants also talked about irony of being able to legally drive and vote before they could legally purchase cigarettes. The issue is almost a mute point since the law is not strictly enforced and does not present any real barriers to accessing to cigarettes. It also conveys to teens that smoking is not taken as seriously as drugs or alcohol and therefore can’t be as serious a health risk.

While current teen smokers claim a higher price would not reduce the amount they smoke, they claim a lower price would increase the amount they smoke. The focus groups revealed that the high price of cigarettes is not a big deterrent for teens. While they may think that the cost is too high, they still manage to find the money for the purchase. When presented with the scenario of cigarettes increased prices, the majority state that they would continue to buy at the same quantity, while only a few say they would reduce the amount they smoke. On the other hand, if the price of cigarettes were to go down, most teens said they would smoke more than they currently do. This is consistent with results from the advanced survey where 64% of teens agreed that people would smoke more if cigarette prices were lower. Only 50% of all B.C. residents agreed.

The advanced survey asked current smokers if the low price of tobacco was a reason they smoke but this was soundly rejected. However, the high price of tobacco is the number one reason given by teen current or former smokers who successfully or unsuccessfully quit as their reason for quitting. This was confirmed in the focus groups where teens mentioned a lack of money as a reason for quitting but this was often only a temporary situation, once the teen had money smoking recommenced. Quitting behaviours and motivations will be discussed more fully later in this report.

While brands were not investigated in either of the quantitative surveys, it did come up briefly in the focus group discussions. During the experimentation stage of smoking teens tend to smoke whichever cigarettes they can get. At this point there is no brand loyalty but instead a sampling of different brands. As teens begin purchasing or paying for their own cigarettes, they gravitate to a specific brand and become loyal to it. While brand image was not discussed in detail, teens tend to smoke brands such as DuMaurier, Players Light, Marlborough, Dunhill, and JPS. Older women are associated with menthol cigarettes. Teens definitely have strong opinions about brands and associate a certain type of person with their brand (themselves and their friends).