Tobacco Violations Rising at Davis Stores

Source from:  By Joseph M. Dougherty Deseret Morning News Sept. 16 09/17/2007

If you're a kid who wants tobacco, it's slightly easier to get your smokes from Davis County tobacco retailers. Underage youths who helped police in compliance checks were successful at buying tobacco products 14.3 percent of the time in 412 attempts they made in fiscal year 2007. In the rest of the state, youths were successful only 8.3 percent of the time. Isa Kaluhikaua, a community health educator in the Davis County Health Department's Health Promotion Bureau, told the Davis County Board of Health that Davis County's 115 tobacco retailers had been doing well at refusing to sell tobacco products to underage youths from 2001 to 2004. Fiscal 2004 was the county's lowest rate this decade at 6.7 percent. Then, the state average was 8 percent. In fiscal 2005, the county was on par with the state at 6.8 percent and has seen increases ever since. Kaluhikaua said police make unscheduled quarterly checks on tobacco retailers and issue citations, which start at $300 for the first violation. By the fourth violation, a retailer could see a $1,000 fine and a one-year suspension from selling tobacco products. Four businesses have had 30-day suspensions in the past year, which means a third violation, Kaluhikaua said. A one-year license revocation hasn't been issued since 2002. Enditem