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Vilas Co. Begins Tougher Enforcement Of Tobacco To Minors

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Vilas county will also be working this year to cut the amount of tobacco sold illegally to minors.

Recently, Oneida County reported an 11 percent level of non-compliance. Vilas county's level is twice that.

Tammi Boers from Vilas County Public Health says the Wisconsin Wins program, administered by the Northwoods Tobacco-Free Coalition, does compliance checks each year....

"....for Vilas county in 2016 there's a total of 35 retailers that have been checked. Eight of them sold, which put our illegal sales rate at 22.5 percent. That's the same(rate) as 2015. We're not going up or down, we're staying the same...."

Boers says there will be tougher enforcement under state statutes will be happening this year...

"....what we do then is go back into the store and talk to the clerk to see if they were trained, and then we need proof to see if they were trained. Same with the retailer. The owner(shows) they provided the training. Based on what we find, the retailer and the employee can get fined separately...."

State law requires employees selling tobacco to be trained in checking ID's. Boers says they're working with Vilas County Corporation Counsel to set the levels of the fines for this year. She says they are going to up enforcement, given the level of illegal sales taking place.

Free training is available online through the website Smokecheck.org

Boers says any business selling tobacco to minors is subject to a second compliance check within the same year.

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