The Clallam County tobacco prevention specialist is seeking stories about how tobacco has affected people or their loved ones for a publication on the Great American Smokeout on Nov. 18
The American Cancer Society, during its 35th annual Smokeout, will encourage smokers to quit smoking.
To promote the Great American Smokeout and to inform county residents about smoking-related issues, the Clallam County Tobacco Prevention and Control Department will publish its third annual “Breath of Fresh Air” section in the Peninsula Daily News on Nov. 18, said Jill Dole, tobacco prevention specialist.
The deadline to support the publication is Friday, she said.
The section is supported by the county, including the board of commissioners, Health & Human Services, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and the Community Mobilization Against Drug Abuse.
Other local agencies and smoke-free advocates contributing to the success of the publication are Olympic Medical Center, Peninsula Community Mental Health Center and United Way of Clallam County, Dole said.
Dole said she seeks stories “about how tobacco has impacted you or your loved ones.”
She added that compliance checks this year have shown that prevention efforts work.
Only three stores sold tobacco products to minors out of 54 retail outlets during compliance checks this year, she said.
During the checks, youngsters who were 15 or 16 years old attempted to buy tobacco.
“This 94.5 percent compliance rate shows that retailer education about youth access to tobacco does indeed work,” Dole said.
A two-year-old survey found that 15 percent of 10th graders and 20 percent of 12th graders were tobacco users.
The 2008 Healthy Youth Survey was conducted in public schools. The results are the most recent available, Dole said.
Before tobacco prevention efforts began in 2000, the percentage of 12th graders who smoked was as high as 35 percent, Dole said.
Youth smoking rates have dropped 50 percent in 10 years, totaling 65,000 fewer youth smokers in Washington state, with adult rates dropping by 35 percent, she said.
Funding for tobacco prevention in Washington state has been cut by 43 percent, Dole said, adding that the state program is in danger of losing all funding by 2011.
Clerks who sold cigarettes during compliance checks must pay $50 or attend retailer training. Businesses are fined between $100 and $1,500, according to how many sales to minors they have made in a two-year period. Tobacco licenses can be suspended or revoked.
Dole can be reached at her office at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Forth St., Suite 14, by phone at 360-565-2608 and by e-mail at jdole@co.clallam.wa.us.
For more information about the Great American Smokeout, see http://tinyurl.com/2wnwgrd.
For information about how to quit smoking, phone the Washington State Quit Line at 1-800-784-8669 or check online at www.quitline.com.