Marion County scores high in underage tobacco sting

Most everyone knows cigarettes are illegal for anyone under the age of 18. However, it doesn't mean juveniles can't get their hands on addictive tobacco products. Five teens from Marion and Hillsboro High Schools, with the help of Communities in Schools Prevention and Technology Coordinator Charles Rempel, set out Friday to see how Marion County tobacco retailers performed when put to the test.The teens, Mieka and Gavin Serene, and Mike Klaassen from Hillsboro High School, and Mara Prescott and Levi Carpenter from Marion High School, went to 10 retailers within the county asking to buy cigarettes. The results were good. Nine out of 10 stores asked for ID and refused to sell to the minors.

But at one store, Prescott was asked to show her ID, and although it showed she was underage, she was still going to be allowed to buy the cigarettes. She didn't actually buy the cigarettes. Instead, she said she forgot her money (a standard procedure) and went back to her car. After that, she and Rempel, returned to tell the clerk what had happened. "If they do offer to sell, we remind them that what they're doing is against the law," Rempel said, "and there are severe penalties if you get caught do it by an ATOD (Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug)." An ATOD officer will sometimes follow-up a store who sold to a minor. If a clerk sells to them, that's when the penalties, fines, and job loss kick in. Prescott said she felt a little guilty after her sleuthing, but she and the other students know what they were doing is for a good cause. They weren't going out to bust retailers, but trying to highlight an issue that effects millions across the world. "There's a very serious side to this," Rempel said.

Another big part of what they were doing is helping Kansas receive money each year. As part of a lawsuit settled by tobacco companies, Kansas is given millions of dollars each year to help fund health care for smokers, early prevention education, and many other important issues related to tobacco products. The Synar Amendment, named after former Congressman Mike Synar, states the funding will become available on a state-by-state basis if no more than 20 percent of businesses sell to minors. The current national percentage is 17.4. CIS is one of a few programs across the state whose statistics are used to determine if the state receives the money. It was hired by Regional Prevention Center of Flint Hills, Marion's regional representative based in Emporia. In 2004 Kansas was at 60 percent, but with the help of Marion County's 90 percent this year, it's likely the state will make the grade as it has the past two years.

Rempel thinks the new tactic, "Reward and Reminder," has been helpful in reaching the 80 percent. The project rewards clerks and stores who refuse to sell to underage kids. This year $5 fireworks coupon was given to those who passed, and T-shirts have been the prize in the past. Klaassen said he got a laugh from one of the stores he targeted after they refused to sell. "The lady was really excited, and jumping up and down," Klaassen said. Those are the kind of reactions the program loves to have, and while they might not all be that exciting, the numbers of those who pass the test are rising. A success

Next year a company has been hired to do the test runs, and Rempel said it might be a good idea because it's hard to track down busy high school students, but the five who participated this year enjoyed helping. "It was great," Klaassen said. Rempel said the students did a great job helping, and he was pleased with the results. He thinks most retailers in the county have been trained well, but it's not always the case. "What we're doing is reinforcing what the law is, to help them remember," Rempel said.

By MIKE NORRIS
Sports reporter, Hillsboro Star Journal