Keep tobacco away from young people

We are the Advocates for Tobacco Abstinence Coalition, a group of young adults in Fresno, working with the Fresno County Tobacco Prevention

Program. Our goal is to reduce tobacco use in our community by raising awareness of the tobacco industry’s impact.

We believe this can be accomplished by implementing a comprehensive tobacco retail license policy.

There are several ways youth access to tobacco products, including buying them at local stores. Survey results from an undercover youth purchase study show that 21% of retailers in Fresno sold to young people.

It’s not surprising that one-third of high schoolers in Fresno County have tried tobacco products because many retailers fail to ask for identification. This can be significantly reduced if the tobacco retail license passes.

More than 200 cities and counties in California have implemented a TRL and had decreased illegal sales to youth. The outcomes for a TRL include a minimum price for packs to make them less affordable, restricting flavored products that are enticing to youth, and keeping retail locations away from schools and youth zones.

Protect the younger generation and help us support a TRL policy that will minimize the sale of tobacco products to youth and penalize retailers that sell to underage individuals.

Karina Virk, Clovis