A new law requires stores that sell tobacco products to get a license. Those license fees fund an inspection program to make sure retailers aren’t selling those products to people under the age of 21.
"They are also checking to make sure that tobacco is stored appropriately," said Oregon Health Authority Public Health Director Rachael Banks. "So that it's kept out of the hands of children, for example."
In the first year of the program, the Oregon Health Authority sent underage buyers into more than 500 stores. And 26 percent of the time, the store failed to verify the minor’s age.
The OHA notes that not every tobacco retailer in the state was inspected in 2022.
The inspection program is part of the state's strategy to prevent youth and young adults from picking up a dangerous habit.
“The reason why that’s important is because we know the majority of people who become addicted to tobacco and nicotine start before the age of 21,” said Banks.
First-time offenders can be fined $1,000, though Banks said retailers can appeal the penalty. Fines increase up to $5,000 for a fourth-time offense.
The goal isn't to raise revenue from fines, however.
"Ultimately our goal is to get (the number of violations) down," said Banks. "Ideally we want to have that number being zero."
Grocery stores were the most likely to fail the test in the first year of the program, with 37 percent of those failing the test when contacted by an underage decoy.
Convenience stores failed the inspection 23 percent of the time, and tobacco/vape shops failed 27 percent of the time.
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