NEWS RELEASE

February 28, 2005

For more information, contact:

Bj Whitmore, Project Coordinator, 397-3309 (w), 968-5055 (cell)

Susie Dugan, Media Committee Chairperson, 397-3309 (w), 578-5814 (cell)

     QUARTERLY TOBACCO COMPLIANCE CHECKS

RETURN TO DOUGLAS COUNTY

Regular compliance checks of tobacco sales to minors have returned to Douglas County after a 9-month absence.  Compliance checks conducted from September through December 2004, show a compliance rate of 85%. 

“That means that 15% of retailers that were checked sold tobacco to minors,” said Bj Whitmore, Project Coordinator, PRIDE-Omaha, Inc

The Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition (MOTAC) organizes the compliance checks which are conducted by the Omaha Police Department and the Nebraska State Patrol.    Seventy-five of the 510 businesses that were checked sold tobacco to a minor. 

When quarterly checks of all retail tobacco license holders in Douglas County were first conducted in 2002, the failure rate was 23%.  Following eight rounds of regular quarterly compliance checks, the failure rate fell to 10% at the end of 2003.  Unfortunately, reduced funding for tobacco control resulted in the 9-month absence of the checks in 2004.

“The increase from the 10% to the 15% failure rate is not surprising,” states Ms. Whitmore.  “Experience tells us that when regular quarterly compliance checks are stopped, failure rates usually increase.  We hope that the number of failures will decrease again as the quarterly checks continue throughout 2005 and 2006.” The Compliance Check Project is funded through the Nebraska Health and Human Services System/Tobacco Free Nebraska Program as a result of  the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

    LOCATIONS OF BUSINESSES THAT SOLD TOBACCO TO MINORS