GARFIELD COUNTY – They came not to bury local retailers but to praise them. Or, when needed, to educate store owners and employees about laws that prohibit tobacco sales to underage persons.
TSET Healthy Living Program staff serving Garfield County recently worked with youth volunteers to conduct tobacco retailer education visits. During a visit, an underage person went into a store and asked to buy a tobacco product, but with no intent to purchase it. Tobacco sales are prohibited nationwide to anyone under the age of 21.
Stephanie Pendergraft, TSET HLP Program Coordinator in Garfield County, said of the 64 tobacco retailer education visits conducted, employees of 57 stores refused to sell tobacco to the underaged person.
“The visits are a prevention strategy aimed at reducing youth access to tobacco by educating tobacco retailers about the current Prevention of Youth Access to Tobacco laws and the negative impact that tobacco sales can have on underage persons in our community, Stephanie said.
The visits are not meant to entrap local retailers but rather to increase awareness and compliance of laws that were adopted to protect young people from the addiction and serious health risks that often come from vaping and tobacco use, according to Stephanie.
According to the latest national survey data, about 9.1 percent of high school students in Oklahoma smoke and 27.8 percent use vaping products. That’s why another aspect of the education visits is to reward tobacco retailers who properly review identification and refuse to sell tobacco to underage person.
“We definitely want to thank and recognize our local retailers who follow the law and protect our youth by asking for ID and refusing to sell tobacco and vape products to them,” your name said.
Preventing youth access to tobacco is just one of several strategies that the TSET HLP and community partners are working on to improve the health and wellness of Garfield County residents. Other areas of focus include working with local school districts to increase physical activity and access to healthy food options, city/local governments on ordinances related to tobacco use/prevention, and food retailers to increase community access to healthy foods.
To learn more about the TSET Healthy Living Program and its community-based work and objectives, call (580) 213-3172 or contact Stephanie Pendergraft at sapendergraft@nwosu.edu.
