Although the rate of illegal tobacco sales is still high — more than 25 percent of takeout stores in the two urban centers sold tobacco to minors — it is a big drop from 2008, when more than ninety percent were illegally selling.
Marshalls Prevention Group, a Majuro-based non-profit organization, conducted the 2009 Synar Survey — named after the U.S. congressman who spearheaded the legislation that funds the anti-tobacco program — on Majuro and Ebeye recently. The group used teenage “youth operatives” working with police to conduct the survey.
Boys and girls aged 15 and 16 were briefed how to approach a store, what to say, and how to leave. Taking turns, each youth operative attempted to purchase either one cigarette or one spoonful of chewing tobacco.
After each purchase attempt, the police officers and adult volunteers confiscated any cigarettes/chewing tobacco successfully purchased and a survey form was filled out and verified by police officers, said officials with the Marshalls Prevention Group.
The combined Majuro and Ebeye retail violation rate was 28.7 percent meaning more than one-in-four stores broke the law and sold tobacco to minors.
Majuros retail violation rate was 17 percent based on the 132 stores inspected, and Ebeyes violation rate was 65 percent from the 38 stores inspected.
The 2008 Synar Survey showed a “disturbing 93.2 percent” violation rate, according to a report from the Marshalls Prevention Group. “The recent vendor education campaign helped (to reduce the violation rate). However results still show that one out of every four stores broke the law. This suggests that our enforcement against tobacco sales to minors are still very weak.”
