Saturday, May 13, 2000
Buying tobacco tough for teens
Test cases find kids succeed 16% of the time
By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIDDLETOWN — It appears to be getting more difficult for local teens to buy cigarettes before they turn 18.
Last week, 16 youths ages 15 and 16 tried to buy smokes at 56 randomly selected convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies throughout Butler County. They succeeded in buying tobacco products 16 percent of the time, down from last year's 37 percent, the Middletown Department of Health & En vironment reported Thursday.
The goal is to cut down on heart disease and lung cancer, the leading causes of death, said Kristy Duritsch, the department's health programs administrator.
In three cases, clerks sold to the minor even after the teen was asked for his age — and truthfully revealed it, Ms. Duritsch said. In the remaining six cases, teens bought tobacco without being asked their age or being asked to show proof of age, she said.
The random checks were conducted as part of the local Tobacco Compliance Program, which was begun in 1995 under a federal measure requiring mandatory tobacco-law compliance checks to ensure that a state will continue to receive maximum substance abuse funding.
The first year the checks were done, 41 percent of vendors were selling tobacco illegally to minors. To combat the widespread illegal sales, the local health department launched an educational campaign for area merchants. A follow-up check that same year showed only 10 percent of the underage teens succeeded in buying tobacco.
Area police have assisted by issuing citations to clerks caught selling tobacco to minors. The citations carry a $250 fine and up to 30 days in jail for the employer and/or his employee.
In all 47 instances in which the teen's attempt to buy tobacco was refused, the clerks asked for identification, Ms. Duritsch said.
“We're pleased that local businesses are now taking the tobacco laws more seriously,” Ms. Duritsch said. “By limiting under-age teens' access to tobacco, we hope to reduce the number of teens who experiment with and become addicted to ... nicotine.”
In Warren County, the health department conducted random checks last June 9, and found under-age customers were able to buy tobacco products in four locations out of 47, an 8.5 percent failure-to-comply rate. A new round of checks will be conducted later this year.
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