For immediate release: January 24, 2007 (07-012)

Contacts:
Tim Church, Communications Office 360-236-4077

Sales of tobacco to minors continue to drop
95 percent of Washington state retailers comply with the law

OLYMPIA — The sale of tobacco to minors in Washington has dropped by more than half since 2000, according to a new report. Ninety-five percent of tobacco retailers in Washington are now complying with the law that bans the sale of tobacco to anyone under 18. Officials credit a shift in attitude toward protecting youth from tobacco use, improved education about the legal requirements of tobacco sales, and more cooperation from retailers.

"I’m extremely pleased that retailers are working with us and doing their part to help protect the health of Washingtonians. This is great news for the health of our kids," said Governor Chris Gregoire. "Many adult smokers started smoking when they were young; and if we can keep tobacco away from kids, they will develop into non-smoking, healthier adults."

Authorities perform random checks of retailers to look for stores violating tobacco laws by selling cigarettes, spit tobacco, and other tobacco products to youth. The results are published in the annual Synar Report. The latest information shows tobacco sales to minors in Washington are down to about 5 percent in 2006. That means about 95 percent of stores checked are making sure they only sell tobacco to people 18 years and older. That’s up significantly since 1999 when 88 percent were complying with the law.

"Making it tough for kids to get tobacco is one of the keys to lowering youth smoking rates," said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. "By making cigarettes harder to get, fewer kids will take up this habit, which will give them a much better chance of a longer, healthier life."

States are required to prohibit retailers from selling or distributing tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18. This is done through random, unannounced inspections to ensure compliance with the law. In Washington, local health agencies and the state Liquor Control Board work with youth under the age of 18, who test compliance by attempting to buy cigarettes and other tobacco products. Liquor Control Board enforcement officers also conduct tobacco compliance checks across the state as a part of their agency’s tobacco compliance program.

State and local health officials support retailers by providing them information about legal requirements and display regulations, and by offering training for employees on how to comply with the law. These partnerships with retailers across the state, along with changing attitudes about protecting youth from tobacco use, have led to fewer tobacco sales to minors. The recent results reinforce findings in the 2004 Healthy Youth Survey. In that report, the number of 10^th graders who said it is "sort of" or "very hard" to get tobacco, increased from under 17 percent to 46 percent.

In the past five years, smoking rates have decreased among youth by 48 percent, and there are 65,000 fewer youth smokers in the state. While Washington has made significant headway in lowering smoking rates, there is still work to do. The tobacco industry spends more than $185 million each year in the state to hook smokers and about 45 youth start smoking each day. As it gets more difficult for youth to purchase tobacco from stores, kids turn to social sources, such as older friends, family members and other adults to obtain tobacco. The Department of Health is working with its partners to produce new programs and informational materials to discourage adults from providing tobacco to minors.

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the nation. Tobacco-related diseases kill about 8,000 people every year in Washington — more than AIDS, alcohol, drug abuse, car crashes, murders, suicides and fires combined.

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