While 53 out of 220 Majuro businesses were given citations for illegally selling cigarettes to youth under the age of 18, local officials said this actually confirms a significant improvement for Majuro.
“We had 75 percent compliance (with the law),” said Maybelline Ipil, the project manager at Marshall Islands Epidemiology and Prevention Initiatives that is spearheading the anti-tobacco campaign. “This was way better than in 2010, when we had a 75 percent violation rate.”
The citations were given out during the annual “Synar” survey, a U.S.-funded program named after the late Mike Synar, an American congressmen who championed anti-tobacco programs. This is the fourth year of the Synar survey being conducted in the Marshall Islands. In the first years of the survey, close to 100 percent of local businesses on Majuro and Ebeye violated the law that bans sales of tobacco to anyone under 18.
In September, 220 Majuro retail outlets were visited by Synar taskforce members to educate the shopkeepers on the laws and penalties for tobacco and alcohol sales to minors. “Store visits went from a minimum of 15 minutes up to one hour per visit, depending on questions,” said Ipil. Taskforce members also put up notices at stores that state no sale of tobacco to youth under 18 and no alcohol sales to people under 21.
Two weeks later, six Synar inspection teams returned to conduct the annual survey to check compliance with the law. But the 2011 survey was unprecedented: this year, all stores that sold to teenagers illegally were ticked by a policeman. In past years, no citations were given out to stores when they illegally sold tobacco to minors during the surveys.
Courthouse officials confirmed that 53 citations for illegal sales of cigarettes to minors are now pending in District Court. The cases are likely to be heard next week.
The Attorney General’s Office said the penalty for violations of the tobacco sales to minors law is up to a $100 fine and/or up to 30 days in jail.
