Published: Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Few Snohomish County stores sell cigarettes to teens
When underage teens recently attempted to buy cigarettes in 74 businesses in Snohomish County, most shopkeepers refused.
"That's good to see," said Chris Wick, a health educator for the Snohomish Health District. "Kids are getting the message that they can't purchase tobacco."
This is the 14th year the public heath agency has conducted the checks to see how well businesses complied with laws barring anyone under 18 from buying tobacco.
Eleven of 74 businesses were not following the law, but 85 percent were.
Stores were randomly selected for compliance checks, conducted between April and June.
"We think it's a good sign that they're doing their job and keeping tobacco out of the hands of young people," Wick said.
The checks showed most businesses were following the rules, she said, and were making sure to ask for identification to be certain of the customer's age.
Businesses also are required to post signs near cash registers stating the state's law on age limitations for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The teens participating in the checks are active in groups such as Teens Against Tobacco Use, Wick said. Ten volunteers between the ages of 15 and 17 volunteered to help with the checks.
"We didn't pick them to look older," she said. They were also cautioned not to try to dress in any way other than typical for a teen, she said.
The teens were accompanied to each store site by an adult, either a health district staff member or an employee of the state's Liquor Control Board, which regulates tobacco sales.
This year's compliance rates by area businesses is below the all-time best rates of about 96 percent found in 2001 and 2007.
The percent of 10th-graders smoking in Snohomish County -- 14.4 percent -- is slightly lower than the statewide average of 14.9 percent, according to a 2006 state Department of Health survey.
Clerks who sell tobacco to minors can be fined $100 for a first offense, $300 for a second one and $1,000 for a third offense, plus face a six-month suspension of the store's tobacco license, according to the health district.
A fourth illegal sale can result in a $1,500 fine and a one-year suspension of the store's license to sell tobacco. Further violations result in the permanent cancellation of the store's tobacco license.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
"That's good to see," said Chris Wick, a health educator for the Snohomish Health District. "Kids are getting the message that they can't purchase tobacco."
This is the 14th year the public heath agency has conducted the checks to see how well businesses complied with laws barring anyone under 18 from buying tobacco.
Eleven of 74 businesses were not following the law, but 85 percent were.
Stores were randomly selected for compliance checks, conducted between April and June.
"We think it's a good sign that they're doing their job and keeping tobacco out of the hands of young people," Wick said.
The checks showed most businesses were following the rules, she said, and were making sure to ask for identification to be certain of the customer's age.
Businesses also are required to post signs near cash registers stating the state's law on age limitations for buying cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The teens participating in the checks are active in groups such as Teens Against Tobacco Use, Wick said. Ten volunteers between the ages of 15 and 17 volunteered to help with the checks.
"We didn't pick them to look older," she said. They were also cautioned not to try to dress in any way other than typical for a teen, she said.
The teens were accompanied to each store site by an adult, either a health district staff member or an employee of the state's Liquor Control Board, which regulates tobacco sales.
This year's compliance rates by area businesses is below the all-time best rates of about 96 percent found in 2001 and 2007.
The percent of 10th-graders smoking in Snohomish County -- 14.4 percent -- is slightly lower than the statewide average of 14.9 percent, according to a 2006 state Department of Health survey.
Clerks who sell tobacco to minors can be fined $100 for a first offense, $300 for a second one and $1,000 for a third offense, plus face a six-month suspension of the store's tobacco license, according to the health district.
A fourth illegal sale can result in a $1,500 fine and a one-year suspension of the store's license to sell tobacco. Further violations result in the permanent cancellation of the store's tobacco license.
Reporter Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com.
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