Efforts To Reduce Youth Smoking Rates Continues

The Tobacco Control Coordinator for the Fond du Lac County Health Department says they have seen some success in reducing youth smoking rates over the years. Sandy Bernier says when she started tobacco control work the smoking rate was much higher for youth. In 1998 the high school smoking rate was 38 percent. It is now at about 8 percent. She says there have been several factors for that success. That has included making sure retailers don’t sell tobacco to minors, increasing the cigarette tax, and prevention education efforts. But she says they still have problems with the sales of candy-flavored little cigars and e-cigarettes or vaping.