Community Corner
Local stores pass recent tobacco compliance check
In tobacco compliance checks conducted Saturday August 24, 2013 between 1:00PM and 4:00PM, two minors, 16 years old, supervised by the Tobacco Program Coordinator, visited all 7 tobacco vendors in Winchester. None of the 7 tobacco retailers sold tobacco products to the underage youth. In all of the 7 stores, the clerk asked for an ID and refused to sell cigarettes or small cigars to the minors.
The Health Department and the Tobacco Program would like to thank the retailers of Winchester for helping to reduce youth access to tobacco. Not only does restricting youth access to tobacco prevent kids from starting to smoke, but recent studies also find that states with more limits on youth tobacco access also have lower adult smoking rates. A study by Washington University School of Medicine found that in states that enforce laws preventing youth access to tobacco, individuals that had difficulty buying cigarettes in their teens were less likely to smoke later in life. This is significant because most adult smokers started smoking when in their teens. Restrictions including requiring identification for purchasing tobacco products and restricting packaging of cigarettes to prevent the sale of a few cigarettes at a time are among the most effective strategies.
Each day in the United States, nearly 4,000 people younger than 18 years of age smoke their first cigarette. Smoking is a major cause of health problems and a significant drain on our health care system. Because nicotine is such an addictive substance it is important that kids never start smoking. We appreciate that our local retailers not only comply with federal, state and local regulations but also understand the importance of helping to reduce youth access.
