Thus, this systematic review of youth given access interventions may prove critical in thwarting tobacco industry interference with minor access legislation. Ultimately, though, the industry may not need to challenge such legislation because there is evidence that, in many countries, minor access laws are poorly enforced (see next section). FCTC Articles 13 and 16: Implementation Challenges A central challenge to FCTC implementation is the enforcement of existing marketing and sales-to-minors regulations. Countries have struggled with enforcement for various reasons. For example, some have a limited capacity for enforcement. The India Tobacco Control Act restricts the size of POS displays, and yet these restrictions appear to be ignored by the industry with little to no consequence (Sinha et al.

, 2008). In Thailand, enforcing minor access laws has proven difficult for two main reasons: the officials appointed to enforce the Tobacco Product Control Act are public health officers who have many other responsibilities, and the fines for violators are minimal (Sangthong, Wichaidit, & Ketchoo, 2012). Elsewhere, enforcement has been complicated by the existence of an informal economic sector. Guatemalan law bans the sale of single cigarettes and packs with fewer than 20 cigarettes, yet a recent surveillance study found that single-cigarette sales were highly prevalent among street vendors (de Ojeda, Barnoya, & Thrasher, 2012). Restricting such sales and, in turn, enforcing Article 16 remains challenging, because these vendors are not recognized or regulated by the legal system.

The illegal sale of singles is also prevalent in other low- and middle-income countries, such as Mexico (Rodr��guez-Bola?os et al., 2010; Thrasher, Villalobos, Barnoya, Sansores, & O��Connor, 2011), as well as in low-income areas of high-income countries, such as the United States (Stillman et al., 2007). As previously discussed, the tobacco industry��s influence on government officials also can serve as a barrier to enforcement. Although Russia ratified the FCTC in 2008, members of parliament subsequently passed a new national standard for tobacco products that contradicts the framework. The legislation, which was drafted by a tobacco industry lobbyist and endorsed by several parliament members, allows the terms ��light�� and ��mild�� to be used on tobacco packs (Vlassov, 2008).

Although the Russian government continues to advocate a comprehensive TAPS ban (Parfitt, 2010), the fact that the tobacco industry is able to participate in the legislative process can undermine the enforcement of existing policies and influence the implementation of new regulations. A related enforcement issue is conflicts of interest. In China, the government department that handles the administration, production, and sale of tobacco products is also responsible for tobacco control, so implementing FCTC provisions independent of Batimastat tobacco industry influence is a challenge (Lv et al., 2011).