Underage youth visited 175 stores in Stanislaus County and attempted to purchase tobacco products under the concealed supervision of an adult. The survey included stores in the unincorporated areas of Stanislaus County and within the city limits of Modesto and Turlock. Separated by region, the sales rates were 54% in the unincorporated areas, 37% in Modesto and 25% in Turlock.

“It was surprising to see just how easy it is for kids like me to buy tobacco,” said Katie Carson, a 17-year-old volunteer from Modesto who participated in the survey. “Even when I showed them my real ID, showing that I’m not 18, they were still willing to sell to me!” California State Law, Penal Code 308 (a) prohibits the sale of tobacco products to minors; however, tobacco stings do not occur frequently and are time-consuming resulting in few retailers being visited. If a merchant is caught more than once, the fines do increase.

“It’s unfortunate to see this problem just keeps getting worse,” said Ken Fitzgerald, Health Educator for the HSA Tobacco Education Program. “At a time where the statewide rate is at an all-time low, Stanislaus County is at an all-time high.”

HSA staff has been working with several community groups to address the problem of youth access to tobacco. The HSA Tobacco Education Program has worked to develop merchant education programs, youth education on the dangers of smoking, and community outreach on the issue.

“We’re committed to reducing youth access to tobacco products in Stanislaus County,” said Fitzgerald. “This is a serious problem for our community and we have been working to develop an effective long-term solution.”

The Stanislaus County Tobacco Education Coalition and the Stop Tobacco Sales to Youth Committee is working on a proposal for the cities and the County to implement local tobacco retail licensing ordinances. This type of ordinance would require stores to carry a license to sell tobacco, similar to a liquor license. Under this plan, retailers could lose their license to sell tobacco if they continued to sell to minors.

Tobacco is a product that kills 42,000 Californians annually. Every day, an estimated 200 youth begin smoking. Two thirds of these youth become addicted smokers, half of whom will die prematurely from a tobacco related illness (American Lung Association, 2002).

Smoking-related diseases remain the largest cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Each year, more than 440,000 individuals in the United States die from cigarette smoking (CDC, 2004). Even more alarming, 4.5 million kids under the age of 18 are current smokers in the United States (National Survey on Drug and Health Data, 2003). If current patterns of smoking behaviors continue, an estimated 6.4 million of today’s children can be expected to die prematurely from a smoking-related disease (US Department of Health and Human Services, Surgeon General Report 2000).