As reported in the 1994 Surgeon General's Report, nine studies found that minors were able to purchase cigarettes 82 to 100 percent of the time.
Younger children use vending machines to purchase cigarettes more often than older adolescents.
Restrictions on vending machines are widely supported. Retailers are more likely to refuse to sell to minors if vending machines are not easily accessible to youth. Generally, the only opponents to vending machine restrictions are the vending machine companies, often supported by the tobacco industry. Cigarettes account for a small and declining portion of total vending machine revenues.