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Community youth investigate cigarette sales to minors in Milwaukee
Teams of community youth and adults have been surveying City of Milwaukee licensed tobacco retailers to find out who is doing the right thing and not selling tobacco to minors.
The program is called Wisconsin Wins and is a statewide initiative designed to decrease youth access to tobacco products. The WI Wins Campaign was launched in the spring of 2002 to assure compliance with the Federal Synar regulation that requires states to maintain a youth access rate of less than 20% and is part of a comprehensive approach to preventing youth retail access to tobacco. The initiative is funded through a collaborative partnership with the City of Milwaukee Health Department Tobacco Control Program and the Milwaukee Community Tobacco Coalition.
Youth, ages of 15-17, attempt to purchase tobacco products from local vendors that are licensed to sell tobacco. The project design uses positive reinforcement protocol known as Recognition and Reminder (R&R) to support retailers who "do the right thing" and refuse to sell tobacco to minors. Retailers that do not sell are given gift certificates as a "thank you" for doing the right thing.
Those retailers that illegally sell these products to the youth are fined by the City of Milwaukee Police Department in hopes that this will deter them from future illegal activity.
At mid year, the rate of illegal sales to minors in the City of Milwaukee was approximately 14%. The Wisconsin Wins Program is a collaborative effort between the State of Wisconsin, City of Milwaukee Health Department, Milwaukee Police Department, Community Advocates, and community youth and other partners.
