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TARBORO - Undercover alcohol and tobacco compliance checks by the Division of Alcohol Law Enforcement's Tarboro office continue to find some stores illegally selling products to underage persons. From August 7th through the10th, ALE's District II office in Tarboro checked outlets during undercover operations in Pitt, Nash and Halifax Counties. A total of 47 randomly chosen locations were checked for tobacco and another 23 outlets were checked for alcohol during this operation. As a result, 13 outlets (27%) sold cigarettes to the minor, while eight outlets (34%) sold alcohol.
The buy rate on cigarettes is better than during the random compliance checks done in mid-July in Pitt, Wayne and Wilson Counties. Last month, a total of 41 randomly chosen locations were checked, and 19 outlets (46%) sold cigarettes to the minor. Follow-up compliance checks a few days later showed eight outlets (40%) sold to the minor.
However, the number of outlets that sold alcohol to minors has increased from the compliance checks done in Nash and Edgecombe Counties in late July. Of the 14 randomly chosen locations checked then, only one sold beer to the underage person.
"Zero-tolerance is the bottom line on the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors," said Ron Gilliard, Acting Supervisor for ALE in Tarboro. "The statistics on deaths and injuries related to teen alcohol and tobacco use are too starling to ignore."
Statistics show that alcohol kills 6.5 times more young people under the age of 21 than all other illicit drugs combined, and is the drug of choice for underage persons in North Carolina. Although underage persons obtain alcoholic beverages from many sources, reducing the source of supply through retail compliance checks has been shown to be one of the most effective strategies to reduce underage drinking.
According to data recently released by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, nearly one out of every three high school students smoke. An additional 25,800 children will become smokers this year, and 210,000 North Carolina children who smoke will die a premature death as a consequence of underage smoking.
ALE's compliance checks sends minors who are volunteers into the store to attempt to purchase cigarettes or alcohol. The minors are age-tested to ensure that he/she looks less than 18 years of age (tobacco), or 21 years of age (alcohol). Additionally, the minor adheres to strict guidelines set forth by ALE to ensure the appearance of entrapment is not present. For example, if a store clerk asks the minor how old they are, the minor is to tell them their actual age and the minor is required to have a valid driver's license on his person at all times and to produce it for identification if asked.
ALE is a Division of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety. ALE's mission is consistent statewide enforcement, education, and control of the legal and illegal sale, consumption, distribution, and transportation of alcohol with special attention directed towards the possession and use of alcohol by underage persons, and the prevention of violent crime due to alcohol and drug abuse. ALE was given the additional mission of enforcing North Carolina's youth access to tobacco law in order to improve the health of the state's children and to prevent the state from losing approximately $14 million in federal substance abuse grant monies.
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Editor's Note: For more information, call Ron Gilliard in ALE's Tarboro office at 252-823-1442.
