LAKE COUNTY — A recent survey of tobacco sales to teenagers in Lake County has some promising results, with sales to minors reportedly dropping.
The Youth Tobacco Coalition of Lake County and their sponsoring agency, Lake Family Resources, released the results of the Youth Purchase Survey, which monitors sales of tobacco products to minors in Lake County.
The survey aims to halt such sales at the retail level in order to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among high-risk youth populations.
The Lake County Tobacco Control Program Youth Coalition, called Stop the Tobacco Outbreak on Minors Period (STOMP), conducted the survey.
STOMP teams keep records of the retailers visited and compile a report with statistics twice annually.
In June teens from around the county attempted to purchase tobacco products from 57 retailers in Lake County.
The results show that tobacco sales to minors dropped significantly, from 43.8 percent of retailers selling tobacco products to youth in 2005 down to 8.7 percent in 2006.
“This is the first time we have had sales lower than the state average since we began the surveys,” said STOMP member Amanda Espinoza.
“However, the highest concentration of tobacco sales to minors was in the city of Lakeport, where 25 percent of retailers did complete the purchase. The other sales took place in Cobb and also Kelseyville.”
Joy Swetnam of Lake Family Resource Center said this drop may be attributed to the retailer site visits coalition members have conducted this year.
“The site visits include educational materials and training regarding sign and product placement to help reduce the accessibility and availability of tobacco to youth,” Swetnam explained.
Another reason for the drop in sales, said Swetnam, is a clerk training program that has been implemented for employees of stores where tobacco is sold.
Reducing the availability of tobacco products to young people can have significant impact on whether they smoke later in life.
Independent surveys show that approximately 60 percent of smokers start by the age of 13 and 90 percent before the age of 20.
STOMP”s efforts are funded by Proposition 99, a referendum approved by California voters in 1988, which increased state taxes on tobacco products and earmarked that revenue for programs to reduce smoking, and fund tobacco-related research and resource programs for the environment.
For more information about the Lake Family Resource Center Tobacco Control Program or to schedule a youth presentation on the Tobacco Control Program, call 262-1611.
Contact Cynthia Davis at cdavis@record-bee.com.
