Reducing Youth Access to Tobacco: A Community Effort to Implement a Tobacco Retail Licensing Ordinance

According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among 12 to 17 year olds who had smoked in the last month, more than three out of five (77%) had purchased their own cigarettes. Tobacco retailer licensing (TRL) is a mechanism to enforce current tobacco laws such as PC308 and the STAKE Act. Much like a liquor license, it holds retailers accountable for their actions through penalties that not only involve fines, but also license suspensions and revocations. Prior to February 15, 2008, current tobacco laws in Cerritos, CA did not offer stringent enough measures to reduce illegal sales to minors. A youth purchase survey was done in December 2005 to assess illegal sales rates in Cerritos. Out of 27 retailers, 9 were willing to sell tobacco to under-aged decoys. TRL has a track record of decreasing illegal sales rates in cities that it had been implemented in. For example, sales rates in Pasadena dropped from 20% to 5%. As of February 15, 2008, Cerritos officially adopted a tobacco retail licensing ordinance. This presentation will educate participants about key components of a strong TRL ordinance and outline the strategies used to organize a youth taskforce and community coalition around this issue. Participants will also learn methods on how to train community youth and adults to speak to gatekeepers and key decision makers.