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30 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, January 14, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 6, 2005 Fewer stores sell tobacco to minors By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Kids too young to smoke are finding it harder to buy cigarettes in Jackson County, according to a new state report on tobacco sales inspections. Of 40 local stores targeted in confidential stings last year, only six sold tobacco products to minors, according to a survey from the state Department of Human Services. That lowers Jackson County’s rate of sales to about 15 percent, down from more than 17 percent in recent years. The local rate is about even with the statewide sales rate of 14.6 percent, the lowest ever recorded, said Jeff Ruscoe, DHS prevention coordinator. Of 852 inspections conducted in Oregon stores last year, 124 retailers sold tobacco to minors. That brings compliance well within the rate of 20 percent required by federal mandate. Advertisement "The longer we can delay people’s first use of tobacco, the less likely they will ever start, become addicted and suffer the long-term health consequences," Ruscoe said. Last year, in counties where 10 or more retailers were inspected, highest sales were recorded in Clatsop County, where nearly 65 percent of clerks sold to kids under age 18. Retailers in nine Oregon counties didn’t sell cigarettes to minors at all during inspections. Those included Crook, Douglas, Hood River, Malheur, Polk, Sherman, Union, Wallowa and Wheeler counties. Jackson County’s rate of sales to minors has fallen consistently since 1996, when prevention workers observed that minors were sold cigarettes in 71 percent of attempts. "We were alarmed way back then," said Jane Stevenson, Jackson County’s prevention coordinator. She attributed the declines to a combination of efforts ranging from putting cigarettes behind retail counters and educating new clerks to nonbinding "remind and reward" inspections using local young people. Starting Jan. 1 in Oregon, retailers are required by law to stock tobacco products out of public reach. "There’s definitely more of an awareness," she said. Funding for tobacco prevention in Oregon was reduced by state budget cuts two years ago. In Jackson County, resources fell from about $300,000 a year to about $80,000, Stevenson said. A new round of federally required inspection visits to more than 375 of Oregon’s 2,800 known tobacco retailers will begin this month and continue through June, Ruscoe said. Clerks in Oregon face fines of $100 to $600 for selling cigarettes, chewing tobacco, pipes or rolling papers to minors. Local stores that sold tobacco products to minors during last year’s inspections include the following sites: Eagle Point AM/PM, 10668 Highway 62, Eagle Point. Foots Creek Country Store, 3175 Rogue River Highway, Gold Hill. McKee Bridge Store, 9045 Upper Applegate Road, Jacksonville. Albertson’s Food Center, 910 N. Phoenix Road, Medford. Stop & Go Market, 2362 Antelope Road, White City. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers