Podcast: Collaborative Efforts Drive Decrease in Underage Tobacco Use

Reynolds and TruAge spotlight industry innovation in underage access prevention.

In a recent episode of CSP's At Your Convenience podcast, Kara Calderon, Head of Underage Access Prevention at Reynolds, and Stephanie Sikorski, CEO of TruAge, spoke about the collaborative efforts to prevent underage access to tobacco and nicotine products.

The conversation highlighted how partnerships between manufacturers, retailers, and technology providers are contributing to lower rates of underage tobacco use. Reynolds enforces strict marketing protocols and maintains contractual obligations with nearly 183,000 retail outlets, requiring age verification at point-of-sale to ensure products are sold only to legal-age consumers. TruAge, a nonprofit, mission-driven organization, offers a universal age verification solution that supports responsible retailing across the convenience industry.

"We are now at record lows of underage vapor usage," Kara shared, citing 2024 data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey. "Middle school usage is down to 3.5%, high school usage to 7.8%, and underage cigarette use has dropped to an all-time low of 1.4%."

Stephanie added context from the retail environment, noting that convenience stores process over 54 million age-restricted transactions daily, with more than 40% of those involving age-restricted products. TruAge's technology helps retailers verify age securely while providing actionable insights into carding rates and ID validation.

Despite the progress, both leaders acknowledged a growing challenge: the rise of illicit disposable vapor products, often flavored and marketed in ways that appeal to youth. Kara cited a 2,200% increase in youth use of these unregulated products, calling it the biggest hurdle facing underage access prevention today.

Stephanie emphasized the importance of proactive solutions like TruAge, which not only verify age but also help shift the narrative around convenience retailing. "TruAge was built to show proof points," she said. "We want convenience to be in the headlines for the right reasons, showing how to do responsible retailing right."

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how Reynolds and TruAge are working together to protect youth and support responsible retailing: https://www.cspdailynews.com/tobacco/collaborative-efforts-drive-decrease-underage-tobacco-use

To learn more about Reynolds' Underage Access Prevention efforts, click here.