Drive Targets Tobacco, Alcohol Sales to Minors
The Los Angeles County Health Department launched a billboard and poster campaign Wednesday against the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to minors.
Posters reading “We care about the health of our community. We do not sell cigarettes or alcohol to minors,” are being distributed to merchants. Billboards are being used as well.
“While the national tobacco settlement is an important first step in compensating governments for the funds spent on treating victims of tobacco-related diseases, we can’t lose sight of the fact that our future depends on preventing another generation from becoming addicted to cigarettes,” county Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said in statement.
The campaign emphasizes gas stations and convenience stores, officials said.
The state already mandates that merchants caught selling tobacco to minors be fined $200 to $300 the first time. The fine for selling liquor to minors is between $750 and $3,000, state officials said.
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