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House Fights Tobacco Sales to Minors
HB 228 Invests $1/2 Million More to Reduce Teen Smoking

(JUNEAU) - The House today took a strong stand against the use of tobacco by minors, passing House Bill 228 to dedicate $500,000 in additional tobacco settlement money to fund tobacco cessation and prevention efforts aimed at Alaska children.

Rep. John Harris (R-Valdez) said he introduced HB 228 to help protect the health of young Alaskans at risk from becoming addicted to tobacco, and to preserve the state's ability to receive $1.5 million in federal drug and alcohol abuse prevention block grants.

"This bill seeks to derail some of the ever-growing problem of tobacco sales to minors, and the consequences down the road, by beefing up enforcement of state laws prohibiting sales of tobacco products to young people," said Harris.

A recent survey of Alaska retail outlets showed that minors were able to buy tobacco in more than 20 percent of their efforts, exceeding a federal threshold. By passing HB 228 into law and devoting $500,000 from Alaska's share of its tobacco industry lawsuit settlement to enforcement of anti-smoking efforts, the state would preserve $1.5 million in federal revenue, Harris said.

HB 228 would seek to lower tobacco use by minors through a variety of means, including:

• Raising fines for businesses found guilty of selling tobacco to minors to $300 for a first offense, and $2,500 for a fourth offense
• Providing mandatory suspension and possible revocation of the endorsement of the right to sell tobacco for multiple violations within two years
• Raising the $25 charge for a tobacco endorsement on a business license to $100
• Requiring separate tobacco endorsements for each location at which a vendor sells tobacco

"If we don't take steps now to keep kids from making bad choices about tobacco use, the state will continue to be burdened with the costs of providing health care services to adults who started smoking as children," Harris said.

HB 228 moves next to the Senate for consideration.

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