Federal/State Program Achieves Dramatic Nationwide Drop In Tobacco Sales To Minors, USA

Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health;  Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 14 Oct 2007 - 10:00 PST

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration today announced that sales of tobacco to underage youth have reached all time lows under the Synar Amendment program - a federal and state partnership program aimed at ending illegal tobacco sales to minors.

In fact, for the first time all 50 states and the District of Columbia have achieved a major Synar program goal - an 80 percent compliance rate among tobacco product retailers. This stands in sharp contrast with the situation 10 years ago at the Synar program's inception when the lowest reported compliance rate was 25 percent.

"This report on decreasing tobacco sales to minors shows state tobacco control efforts are working," said Terry Cline, Ph.D., SAMHSA administrator. "States have done an extraordinary job over the last 10 years in helping us stem illegal tobacco sales to minors. Together we are making great strides in protecting our children from the death and disability that accompanies tobacco use."

SAMHSA's FFY 2006 Annual Synar Reports: State Compliance shows that the average national tobacco retailer violation rate dropped to 10.8 percent for federal fiscal year 2006, down from 40.1 percent in 1997. The national average is at its lowest point in Synar's 10-year history.

The SAMHSA report notes that states successfully implementing the Synar Amendment program (named for the late Representative Mike Synar of Oklahoma) employed comprehensive strategies combining vigorous enforcement, supportive public policies and development of social climates discouraging youth tobacco use.

Under the regulations implementing the Synar Amendment, states and jurisdictions must report annually to SAMHSA on their retailer violation rates, which represent the percentage of inspected retail outlets that sold tobacco products to a customer under the age of 18. The amendment requires that retailer violation rates not exceed 20 percent. States and jurisdictions measure their progress through random, unannounced inspections of tobacco retailers, and SAMHSA provides technical assistance to help states comply.

FFY 2006 Annual Synar Reports: State Compliance is available on the Web at here.

http://www.samhsa.gov