More than 1,200 retailers across the country have been discovered to be violating regulations related to selling cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to minors.
In response, the FDA, which has authority to regulate tobacco products to prevent use by minors and reduce the impact on public health, issued Warning Letters to these tobacco retailers, primarily for selling cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to minors. These retailer compliance inspections are part of an ongoing effort to protect kids from initiating tobacco use.
Retail Compliance Inspections
In 2011, the FDA awarded contracts to 38 states and jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia, to conduct tobacco retailer inspections checking for, among other things, compliance with requirements related to:
- Age and ID verification
- Labeling and advertising of smokeless tobacco products
- Restrictions on the sale of single cigarettes
- Ban on certain candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes
- Prohibited self service displays and vending machines
As of November 2011, more than 27,500 inspections have been completed, the FDA has issued more than 1,200 warning letters to retailers who sold tobacco to kids or had other compliance violations.
Texas Tobacco Youth Survey
In 2010, 11.7% of middle school aged children in TX used some form of tobacco in the last 30 days. For high school aged children, that percentage was at 27% which is 7% higher than the national average. This survey highlights the importance of the need for early intervention.
Now, FDA needs your help. If you are a blogger, they have created an exclusive widget you can share on your site, that allows you and your readers to take a pledge to support responsible tobacco retailing. Parents can search FDA’s database of inspection reports for tobacco retailers near them to see how their neighborhood checks out.
Join them and and promise to keep tobacco out of the hands of youth. Sign the pledge.
Stay Connected
Get the latest updates from FDA Center for Tobacco Products by following them on Twitter @FDATobacco.
Comments