Illegal tobacco sales in Stanislaus County have increased since last year, and the Patterson/Westley area showed some of those increases.

The Health Services Agency for the county decided to do a survey of their own after a state agency's survey showed increases in tobacco sales to minors. The increase is the first in five years, and has the HSA concerned. "Businesses in Stanislaus County showed dramatic improvement between 1995 and 1999 where the illegal sales rate went from 54 percent to 12.3 percent," said Heather Gruenig Duvall, program director for the HSA tobacco education program.

To get a clearer picture of the situation, a survey from the county was organized. After a training session, two minors were paired with an adult supervisor and assigned to a specific community in Stanislaus County.

In Patterson, buddies Junior Madrigal and Adalberto Alberto, both 16, were hooked up with Duvall to visit 11 tobacco selling businesses in Patterson and Westley.

Four Sales

Madrigal and Alberto, both of Modesto, then visited seven businesses in Patterson and four in Westley, in town and at the triangle. Sadly, the numbers provided by the state agency proved to be accurate.

The minors' job was to enter a business, and either ask for tobacco or, if not locked up, try to purchase it. If the clerk asked for identification or asked their age, the minors complied truthfully. If a sale is approved, the minors pretended they didn't have money with them and left the store.

The adult supervisor followed the minors, entering moments after they did. After a sale or no sale, the trio noted whether the "We Card" signs were posted, whether the tobacco was locked up or accessible, if the clerk asked for ID or for their age, or just denied the purchase outright.

Of the seven businesses in Paterson, only one sale was approved. In Westley, three of the four businesses visited approved the sales to minors. Results around the county were similar.

Not Cited This Time

"Our county's results are exactly what we were afraid of," stated Duvall. The offending businesses will not be cited, but will be issued letters noting the importance of asking for identification.

Last year, after the letters were issued, the HSA tobacco education program did nearly 100 educational visits to merchants who sell tobacco, as well as working with law enforcement in training business leaders.

"Our approach in supporting the business community has been collaborative and educational," Duvall stated. "But if the sales rate to children don't go down, law enforcement may need to become more involved."

If cited, businesses could face fines starting at $200 for a first offense and up to $6,000 for a fifth or subsequent violation.

Reprinted by permission of The Hughson Chronical.