Tobacco Retail Licensing Would Help Protect Teens and Tweens from Tobacco and Vapes
Did you know:
A majority of youth who use tobacco use a flavored product.
Tobacco companies market flavored tobacco to youth.
More youth in Trinity County use a vaping device rather than cigarettes.
Half of Trinity County 11th graders think it is easy to get cigarettes.
Rural youth are 3x more likely to smoke than other youth.
Local Tobacco Retail Licensing has been successful in reducing youth access to tobacco in other areas.
Trinity County teens and middle school students are increasingly falling into the trap of nicotine addiction. Middle schoolers are being found with vaping devices on campus and are reporting extreme peer pressure to vape.
What can you do to protect our local youth? Support a local Tobacco Retail License. A tobacco retail license would allow for local control over how and where tobacco products are sold in Trinity County, which would help prevent minors from being able to purchase it or be swayed by advertising.
A Tobacco Retail License would:
Reduce advertising on store windows.
Tobacco ads lure in youth.
More visibility into stores helps law enforcement keep retailers safe.
Limit tobacco sales that are close to areas where youth are, like schools and parks.
Reduces illegal tobacco sales to minors.
Keeps youth from wanting to buy tobacco.
Restrict flavored tobacco sales.
Most youth start with flavored tobacco.
Reduces big tobacco's targeting of youth.
Support local enforcement of tobacco sales laws.
Help for retailers to train staff.
Consistent compliance checks.
What can you do?
Contact the Tobacco Free Trinity program at tobaccofreetrinity@hrntrinity.org to find out more about how to get involved in our campaign to protect local youth. Talk to your local elected officials about your concerns and let them know you support a tobacco retail license to protect our local youth.