More Washington County Retailers Comply with Tobacco Checks

Source from:  By JOHN BUCHEL - GM Today Staff October 10, 2007 10/11/2007

Fewer Washington County retailers failed to ID minors trying to buy tobacco products in the first half of 2007, according to the findings of local compliance checks. Ninety-four percent of the shops refused to sell cigarettes to underage youth, compared to 73 percent through the first six months of 2006. Retailers complied with state law at a rate of 93 percent in the second half of last year, for a yearlong average of 81 percent. "What we saw last year was it was lower the first half and then it got better in the second half," said Mary Simon, director of the Council on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse of Washington County. She said starting this year with a strong rating was a good thing. Youth, in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, visited businesses licensed to sell tobacco products as part of the Wisconsin Wins program. Through the program, the state implements a federal regulation requiring the statewide compliance rate to stay above 80 percent to get full smoking cessation funding. Enditem