A 2015 check of the sale of tobacco to minors revealed an 88 percent compliance rate in Oconto County, according to the Wisconsin Wins program. Of the 42 retail establishments checked, six sold to minors.
This compares to an 86 percent compliance rate in Brown County, where 16 of 114 shops sold to minors; 74 percent in Marinette County, where 14 of 53 shops sold to minors; and 89 percent in Shawano County, where four of 37 shops sold to minors.
The Wisconsin Wins program works to keep tobacco out of the hands of minors by conducting compliance investigations; and providing free training and educational resources that help retailers understand and comply with the tobacco sales law. The program also engages in community outreach and education to communicate the importance of preventing youth access to tobacco.
Wisconsin Wins has found that conducting these checks and doing community outreach and education have made an impact. In 2001, 34 percent of Wisconsin tobacco retailers sold tobacco to a minor upon investigation. Today, Wisconsin Wins rarely sees numbers that high throughout the entire state.
Retailers in 70 out of Wisconsin’s 72 counties have completed training on smokecheck.org, an online tool that teaches retailers and their employees how to comply with Wisconsin’s tobacco sales law.
With the rising popularity of e-cigarette usage among teens, this was the first year Wisconsin Wins included e-cigarettes checks. The shops checked recorded a high rate of compliance. Every shop investigated checked for IDs and politely asked the underage youth to leave the establishment.
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