The Dickinson Press: Several businesses caught selling tobacco to minors
The Southwestern District Unit Health caught six Dickinson businesses selling tobacco to a minor Monday in a quarterly compliance check of 25 city retailers.
The businesses that failed the check are M & H Gas Station, Cenex Convenience Store on Villard Street, Simonson’s Store on Villard Street, Rosie’s Food & Gas, and Family Fare supermarkets at both 18th Street West and Roughrider Boulevard.
Tobacco Treatment Specialist Jennifer Schaeffer said in a release that compliance checks are conducted with a trained minor student with a police officer present. Dickinson municipal code prohibits selling tobacco to minors, with punishments tiered to the persistence of retailer offenses.
First-time offenders can face a fine of $100, while those who sell illegally three times within two years may receive a $500 fine and tobacco license revocation.
Schaeffer said in the release that the Southwestern District Unit Health offered a training course for tobacco retailers to prepare them for subsequent compliance checks.
“We are trying to educate them and the public that this is an important issue in keeping our children safe,” she said in the release.
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/local/3777389-several-businesses-caught-selling-tobacco-minors
