Tobacco Sales and Youth

By Coral Sisk, WHF Associate

Washington law bans the sale of tobacco products to those under 18, and retailers who break that law face stiff penalties. Despite these legal barriers minors obtain tobacco products from many sources including local retailers, friends, and sometimes even family. In Washington State nine percent [1] of youth succeed in buying tobacco products directly from retailers. Even in the face of compliance checks to identify these businesses, only about 90% of Washington’s retailers are fully adhering to the laws that prohibit the sale of tobacco products to minors.

One solution is expanding compliance check programs and increasing the frequency of education efforts among the high turnover employees of these retailers. This has been a priority in Washington State and over the past decade, the percentage of stores illegally selling tobacco to minors has dropped from 15% to below 10%.

Current laws help protect kids from tobacco products that adversely affect their health. Broadly-based local efforts to promote tobacco “law and order” in our convenience stores, a less permissive attitude among parents and friends, and plenty of public attention to the balance between education and enforcement can bring down youth tobacco use.

The Healthiest State Campaign with help from the Washington State Department of Health is reaching out to communities across the state to build a broad-based public/private partnership to prevent chronic diseases. It is all about exploring together the best ways to make healthy choices about diet, exercise and tobacco the easy choices.

To learn more about the Healthiest Communities Partnership, click here.

Reference:

1. Washington State Department of Health, Synar Compliance Check Database 1998-2009