While national smoking rates are steadily declining, a study released Thursday says the number of nicotine sales to minors in Madison is the highest since 2015.
Almost one out of five Madison tobacco retailers willingly sold nicotine products to minors, according to the study, which was conducted by the Public Health Madison & Dane County and the Wisconsin Wins tobacco prevention program.
Out of 208 tobacco retailers in Dane County given unannounced compliance checks by PHMDC, 19 percent of the establishments sold tobacco to underage volunteers who attempted to solicit illegal nicotine products, including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, loose tobacco and electronic cigarettes. That figure is up from 11 percent in 2015. There were several instances reported of clerks looking at underage IDs and providing tobacco to the customers anyway.
“This is the highest sales rate the city of Madison has experienced since 2006,” said Nina Gregerson, assistant coordinator for the Tobacco Free Columbia-Dane County Coalition, in a statement. “It’s unfortunate to see numbers creep up to the rates they were in the mid-2000s since there are many more resources out there to ensure retail clerks keep tobacco out the of the hands of our youth.”
Eight of the delinquent retail establishments had received one or more citations in 2016, despite a requirement to complete a free, required online training about Wisconsin’s tobacco sales laws.
“We also send follow up letters to the retailers after a violation occurs,” Gregerson said. “So it’s really unsettling to see the same retailers constantly in violation of the law.”
According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, around 2,900 underage children become daily smokers every year.
Nicotine addiction is also an expensive vice, according to Gregerson, costing Dane County an estimated $290 million every year.
