Tobacco Compliance Checks
What are Compliance Checks?
Since March 2002, MOTAC has partnered with the Omaha Police Department and the Nebraska State Patrol to ensure that regular Tobacco Compliance Checks are completed in Douglas County.
Attempts are made to check each tobacco retail license holder quarterly throughout the year. PRIDE-Omaha, Inc. coordinates these efforts which involve a plain clothed police officer accompanying a Cooperating Individual (CI) that attempts to purchase tobacco products. CIs are minors who use their own ID and make no attempt to look over the legal purchase age.
These compliance checks are critical in keeping tobacco products out of the hands of our youth. National research has shown that when communities consistently conduct regular compliance checks and keep failures below 10%, children are less likely to use tobacco products in those communities.
Results:
From April - June 2010, 889 compliance checks were completed in Douglas County. Thirty-one (31) retail tobacco outlets illegally sold tobacco to minors, representing a 3.4% failure rate.
© Copyright 2010 Metro Omaha Tobacco Action Coalition.