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Date: Friday, Aug. 1, 1997
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ivy Fleischer Kupec: 301­443­3285 Linda Ruckel: 301­827­3434, Consumer Hotline: 800­532­4440
 

FDA, Retailers and Consumers Join Together to Curb Illegal Tobacco Sales to Minors

"The first way to ensure that retailers comply with the age and photo ID provisions of the tobacco rule is to make sure that they and their customers know about these rules and why they are so vital in protecting our children and adolescents," said Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services. "It is imperative that the government, retailers and communities work together to give store clerks on the front lines the tools they need to prevent tobacco sales to children."

The materials feature two young women, one who is 16 and the other who is 25. The headline reads, "Which one is 16?" The point is clear: the only way to know for certain which of the two young women is too young to buy cigarettes or smokeless tobacco is to request proof of age from both of them. The poster points out that under FDA's new tobacco rule, retailers cannot sell these products to anyone under 18 and urges anyone under 27 to have their photo and age identification ready.

Last February, as the first provision of the tobacco rule went into effect, FDA officials held regional briefings with retailers, public health officials, and others to educate them about the new rule. In these briefings, retailers specifically asked the agency for materials they could post in their stores to encourage their customers to cooperate with the new requirements.

The new materials are a direct response to retailers' requests. FDA has printed 50,000 sets of these materials, which include a full color 17" x 22"­inch poster in English and two smaller full­color signs, one in English and one in Spanish. They will be available through participating organizations as well as FDA's hotline.

Campaign cosponsors include: the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Pharmaceutical Association, the Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum, CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, the Consumer Federation of America, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, the National Black Nurses Association, National Cancer Institute's ASSIST Project, the National Community Pharmacists Association, the National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services organizations, National Medical Association, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Children and adolescents have long had easy access to tobacco products. In 13 studies reviewed by the Surgeon General in 1994, minors were successfully able to buy cigarettes 67 percent of the time. In fact, 3,000 children and adolescents become regular smokers everyday, and nearly 1,000 will die prematurely from a smoking­related disease.

In addition to responding to retailers' requests, FDA has also been making available to retailers responses to the most frequently asked questions about the rule and is working to finalize contracts with 10 states before October to enforce this provision of the tobacco rule at the state and local level. Retailers may be subject to penalties of $250 or more for selling tobacco products to minors.

FDA will use a portion of the $4.9 million it has budgeted this year to assist states in enforcing the regulation and to educate retailers and the general public on the new provisions that went into effect in February.