Teen Smoking Ban to be Enforced at Iowa State Fair

Des Moines, Iowa (August 9, 2004) – Teen smokers may leave the Iowa State Fair with more than a belly ache from eating too many funnel cakes and corn dogs. Their wallets may be hurting as well after paying the hefty fine associated with a citation for underage tobacco possession. In addition, kids caught smoking may also have some back pain as a result of performing the court-assigned community service for the offense.

The Iowa State Patrol and the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division will be working together for the fourth straight year to enforce Iowa’s underage tobacco laws during the fair. The tobacco enforcement effort is part of the Iowa ABD’s Iowa Pledge Program aimed at eliminating youth access to tobacco. Lynn Walding, Iowa ABD Administrator, explained the importance of the effort.

“Most teens start smoking as a result of peer pressure,” Walding explained. “What message does it send to a smoke-free child if other kids are openly parading around the fairgrounds with a lit cigarette hanging from their lips in defiance of the law? That simple act of youthful rebellion is an open invitation for other kids to take up the habit as well.”

The Iowa State Fair will be monitored in its entirety from August 12 through August 22. State Troopers will be roaming the fairground in pairs – one in uniform, one in plain clothes – and asking young smokers for proper identification. Last year, 51 citations were issued to minors in violation of the law.

Underage smokers will receive citations and face the following penalties: a $50 fine and 8 hours of community service for the first offense, a $100 fine and 12 hour of community service for the second offense, and a $250 fine and 16 hours of community service for the third and subsequent offenses.

Walding further explained that, “The intent of the strict enforcement at the Iowa State Fair is not to write a bunch of tickets and force teens to do community service. Rather, the intent of the Iowa Pledge Program is to increase compliance with the state’s tobacco laws while, at the same time, decreasing youth access to tobacco.”

“It’s a health and safety issue,” added Captain Mike Metzger of the Iowa State Patrol, who will oversee the enforcement effort. “It’s our number-one priority to keep these kids safe, and smoking underage is unhealthy – not to mention illegal.”

Iowa law also makes it illegal to sell tobacco to minors under the age of 18. Each of the four tobacco vendors at the state fair will be monitored by the state patrol and subjected to compliance checks. Last year, compliance checks verified that all were in compliance.

“We want the tobacco vendors to know that they, too, are accountable for Iowa’s tobacco laws,” Walding added. “They will be inspected to make certain that the venders are not sources of tobacco for minors during the fair.”

The penalties for retailers that sell tobacco to persons under the age of 18 include a $300 fine for the first offense, a $1,500 fine or a 30-day license suspension for the second violation (within 2 years), a $1,500 fine and a 30-day suspension for the third violation (within 3 years), a $1,600 and a 60-day suspension for the fourth violation, and license revocation for the fifth violation within four years.

For more information on the Iowa Pledge Program, visit www.IowaABD.com.

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