MERRILL, WI (WSAU) — The Northwoods Tobacco Free Coalition (NWTFC) will be completing compliance checks to local tobacco vendors to try and stop the sale of tobacco to those under the age of 18. This year they’ve also stiffened the penalties if you’re found selling tobacco products to those underage.
Public Health Nurse with the Lincoln County Health Department and NWTFC member, Judy Sargent, says the compliance checks have been helping the number of illegal sales go down.
She said, “We know that if we can just get right on to the frontline and enforce what is already there that we can make a difference because we know that with our compliance checks those numbers have come down, for the most part, in most of the counties.”
Sargent also says she believes the availability of certain tobacco products is leading to the number of illegal sales.
“A lot of the other tobacco products, the cigarillos, the e-juices, e-cigarettes, and all that, is mixed right in there with the front counter,” said Sargent. “I think that an important piece would be to get them all behind the counter.”
The new rules state that if someone who is not trained on selling tobacco products lets an illegal purchase occur the business will be fined. If someone who has been trained lets an illegal sale occur the individual, as well as the business, will be fined. Any business who is found to have let an illegal purchase go through will also be subject to a second compliance check sometime within the same year.
