Spike in retail sale of tobacco to minors

Kids in Washington are finding it easier to walk into a store and walk out with a pack of cigarettes. The results of the latest check of illegal sales are in.

“About 16 percent of tobacco retailers in our state sold tobacco to minors and that’s a rate that’s going up and it’s unacceptable to all of us,” said State Health Department Secretary Mary Selecky.

Last year, the rate of sales to minors was 11 percent. The illegal sale of tobacco to minors has risen to its highest level in 10 years in Washington. If the rate of illegal sales to minors tops 20 percent, the state could lose millions of federal dollars for drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention and treatment.

Selecky said she’s seen spikes in illegal sales to minors before.

“Some of it has to do with the economy, some of it has to do with the fact that we have reduced funding to combat big tobacco, who wants to get tobacco in the hands of kids,” she said.

The compliance checks were done by local agencies and the State Liquor Control Board between January and June. Clerks and store owners face fines and can lose their license to sell tobacco after repeated violations.

The Washington State Health Department also reports that the youth smoking rate has leveled at about 13 percent in Washington, a decline of about half since 2000.