Park Ridge Police: Businesses Pass Tabacco Compliance Check

The Park Ridge Police department conducted a tabacco sting operation to see if businesses would sell cigarettes to underaged customers.

All of the businesses that were checked passed and did not sell cigarettes to a minor. The controlled buy attempts enlisted the help of volunteers who were younger than 18. Attempted buys were made on May 29 at every business in Park Ridge where tobacco is being sold.

“Keeping tobacco products out of kids' hands is a critical part of helping reduce underage tobacco use and I am pleased that every business in our town offering tobacco products for sale, was in compliance. It illustrates that these merchants are taking a responsible role in restricting youth access to tobacco,” Park Ridge Police Chief Frank Kaminski stated in a press release.

According to the National Lung Association, 90 percent of adults who smoke started by age 21 and half of them had become regular smokers before their eighteenth birthday.

“If youth access to tobacco is to be controlled effectively, and the decision whether to smoke is delayed until adulthood, then over time, smoking will be greatly reduced as a major addiction in our society,” Kaminski stated.