19% of Vendors Found to Sell Minors Tobacco

Source from:  sfgate.com Henry K. Lee Saturday, July 21, 2007 07/23/2007

Nearly 20 percent of Berkeley's tobacco vendors sold the product to minors during undercover stings, city officials said Friday. In June, about 19 percent of Berkeley tobacco retailers sold tobacco to a youth decoy working with the Berkeley police and the city's public health department. In April 2006, however, only two out of 34 stores surveyed sold tobacco to minors. As part of the sting, youth decoys ages 15 or 16 tried to buy a tobacco product from a store clerk while an undercover police officer was inside monitoring the exchange. If the merchant sold the product, the officer cited the clerk. Tobacco retailers are supposed to ask for the identification of anyone who looks younger than 27, officials said. Berkeley stores that sell tobacco to minors may be required to remove the product from their stores for up to 30 days for the first violation and for longer periods for additional offenses. Enditem