Sellers’ remorse
If fatty food is the new tobacco in the eyes of regulators, as some pundits believe, then tobacco is the new alcohol. Don’t think so? Ask a store clerk cited for selling cigarettes to someone under 18.
Actually, the regulatory parallels are not so new. But the state has stepped up enforcement of tobacco restrictions, citing 371 stores out of 2,000 checked so far this year for selling to people who are underage.
The longer the state can keep tobacco out of the hands of kids, the better. Teen smokers grow into nicotine-addicted adults who bring a host of health problems on themselves and their families. Experts say people who do not start using tobacco when they are teens are much less likely to ever use it. And you don’t have to be an expert to know clerks cited for selling to minors are very likely to lose their jobs.