Lt. Phil Bartusek has reason to be disappointed in the recent failure of eight local businesses during a tobacco compliance check &045; there has not been a lack of information about asking for ID from everyone not old enough to purchase tobacco products.

The proliferation of information available about the dangers of smoking, the dangers of starting the habit at a young age, the detrimental effects of second-hand smoke and the on-going discussion about cities and counties going smoke-free make it difficult to believe anyone has missed it.

In addition, at every checkout counter is a sign that says the date by which a person must be born to make such a purchase. Not only can the buyer see it, employees who stand at the cash register for several hours a shift also see it. There is simply no excuse for selling tobacco products to those who are underage.

Additional compliance checks, planned throughout the year, as Bartusek suggests, is a good idea. These added checks would allow the penalty for non-compliance to kick in much quicker. Hitting businesses in their pocketbook is an effective tool to encourage compliance. While we’d rather see the owners and clerks enforce the law &045; a far less costly option both financially and health-wise &045; if they won’t comply, they should be fined.

Another thought to encourage businesses to comply is an incentive program for attendance at training sessions specific to enforcing the tobacco law.

Perhaps offering a reduced tobacco license fee would also hit the businesses in their pocket enough to send their employees to the training, which in turn would result in higher compliance numbers.

We continue to applaud the efforts of Bartusek and others to curb the sale of tobacco to minors &045; however, maybe more should be done to encourage businesses to get serious about this risk to our young people.