Tobacco Retailers Show Consistent Progress

Des Moines, Iowa (April 4, 2002) – The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division would like tobacco outlets in all 99 Iowa counties to be more like their counterparts in Adams and Wapello counties. Tobacco retailers in these and nine other Iowa counties achieved a 100% compliance rate by refusing to sell cigarettes to minors during recent tobacco compliance checks.

Lynn Walding, Administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, today announced the results of the latest round of compliance checks of Iowa’s tobacco outlets. Out of approximately 5,000 tobacco retailers, 87% refused to sell cigarettes to the underage buyers. A total of 4,759 retailers were checked by local law enforcement and the state patrol from July 2001 through March 2002. Of these, 3,864 retailers were found to be in compliance, while 582 were cited for a violation of Iowa’s tobacco laws. A total of 313 outlets were not checked for various reasons, including possible safety concerns for the underage buyers.

“To date, that is the single highest compliance rate achieved since the state began tracking tobacco compliance in 1994,” Walding noted. “The 87% compliance rate is a noticeable improvement and a far cry from the state’s low-water mark set in 1995 with a dismal 50% compliance rate.”

The latest compliance figure represents the third consecutive improvement achieved in tobacco compliance since the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division began tobacco enforcement in earnest in January 2001. “Each successive round of compliance checks has brought consistent and steady progress in compliance,” Walding observed. “A second round of checks planned for this spring should help the state achieve the immediate goal of reducing non-compliance to a single-digit rate and, ultimately, lead to the end objective of zero youth tobacco sales.”

Walding again credited tobacco retailers and local law enforcement for the improvement. The Iowa Pledge Program, developed by the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, asks Iowa’s kids to pledge not to use tobacco products, Iowa’s retailers to pledge not to sell tobacco products to kids and Iowa’s law enforcement to pledge to enforce Iowa’s new tobacco laws.

Retailers caught selling tobacco to underage buyers are subject to administrative sanctions against their tobacco permit. The sanctions include a $300 civil penalty for the first offense, with subsequent violations resulting in progressive sanctions of 30-day and 60-day suspensions and revocation of the permit for a fourth violation within three years. Clerks are subject to a simple misdemeanor and progressive fines of $100, $250 and $500. Minors caught in possession or using tobacco are subject to a $50 civil fine plus eight hours of community service for the first offense, with progressive punishment for subsequent violations.

The other nine Iowa counties with perfect retail compliance rates included Adair, Davis, Decatur, Emmet, Guthrie, Humboldt, Louisa, Ringgold and Worth counties.

Editor’s Note: Iowa’s tobacco compliance rate (pdf file, 24K), by county, is attached for your easy reference, as well as Iowa’s annual tobacco compliance trend (pdf file, 8K) since 1994.