Crime-Fighting Petaluma Teens Put Tobacco Laws To The Test

PETALUMA, CA — Petaluma teens recently teamed up with police to test local retailers to find out if the adults would sell them tobacco products. The majority passed.

Two failed the test.

During the Oct. 12 operation by the Petaluma Police Department, teen decoys — directed and supervised by officers — visited 19 tobacco shops. The decoys tried to buy tobacco products from each vendor. Two were willing to sell tobacco products to the underage decoys, police said.

A retailer caught selling a tobacco product to anyone under the age of 21 will be subject to fines and potentially jail time. The law applies to all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and vaping devices, and also covers accessories like rolling papers and paraphernalia. Military personnel are no longer exempt, according to the California Department of Public Health.

Funding for the operation came in part from a Sonoma County Department of Health Services grant, according to the Petaluma Police Department. The purpose is to keep young people safe by encouraging tobacco retailers to check IDs and refuse to sell tobacco products to minors.

Decoy operations have been conducted by local law enforcement throughout the state since the 1980’s, according to Petaluma police. The latest violation rate state-wide was about 14 percent compared to 50 percent when the program began several decades ago, the Petaluma police reported.