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| By Katelyn Gendron Reminder Assistant Editor WEST SPRINGFIELD Over the past year the Gandara Center's Youth Tobacco Prevention Program has had personnel on the ground fighting to reduce teen tobacco use and the number of merchants selling to minors. The establishment of this program came with the awarding of a $70,000 multi-year grant by the Department of Public Health and the Tobacco Control Board. The program is aimed at reducing the number of tobacco products sold to minors. According to the center, one in five merchants sell tobacco products to minors. The grant requires that Michael Pease, program coordinator of Youth Tobacco Prevention, conduct compliance checks at each of the 265 retailers across 12 towns Agawam, Chicopee, Hampden, Westfield, West Springfield, Blandford, Chester, Granville, Holland, Southwick, Tolland and Wales in order to supplement the work of their local boards of health. The grant comes in the wake of the 2002 state budget cuts, which left many communities without personnel to enforce tobacco laws and educate merchants about how to properly sell tobacco products. "When there was money there, communities had their own youth access tobacco program," Pease said. "Now, with all the things that boards of health have to do, it's fallen off." In order to bring his services another step forward, Pease conducted a seminar for members of each of the 12 boards of health at the Gandara Center earlier this month. He said the seminar gave those in attendance a more detailed understanding of his work in merchant education. Pease added that he also provided them with a more detailed understanding of tobacco laws and their abilities to enforce them. Tom FitzGerald, Southwick Board of Health inspector, said the seminar provided him and his board with a greater knowledge of the sale laws, proper signage requirements and procedures merchants must follow. "I would encourage other health agents that haven't participated to get involved and to take a more active role in eliminating youth tobacco access," FitzGerald said. FitzGerald added that he has been very pleased not just with the seminar but with Pease's work to educate Southwick's 12 merchants about youth tobacco laws. "What he's doing provides eyes and ears and people on the ground to assist me in doing my duty," he said. FitzGerald was proud to note that the merchant education Pease provided was deemed successful as each of the 12 merchants passed the compliance checks. Pease said he is required to visit each of the merchants twice per year, first providing them with educational packets and then returning for a random compliance check. He noted that the compliance checks are not designed to deceive or "trick somebody into making a sale." Pease works with local teens to conduct the checks by asking them to go into a store and ask for a pack of cigarettes. He said if the merchant asks for proper identification the teen walks away. However, if a sale is made the cigarettes are bagged and treated as evidence for the Board of Health. "It's exciting for me to contribute to something that impacts the health of large groups of people," Pease said enthusiastically. "Kids are young and fragile and make mistakes and I think this is something that can help them avoid a major pitfall of tobacco use." Pease added that it is most important to prevent teen smoking as science has shown that most people begin smoking at a young age. He said by preventing teen smoking future generations will be healthier and "cost less to insure" as tobacco related deaths are among the highest in the country. Alison Jones, director of Prevention Programs at the Gandara Center, said she is optimistic that the Youth Tobacco Prevention Program will reduce the number of sales to minors as well as teen smokers. She added that while it has not been an easy endeavor it is important for residents and merchants to know that "there's someone back in the community who cares." For more information about services provided by the Gandara Center, such as substance abuse prevention, after school programs and HIV/AIDS and mental health services call 454-5674. |