Alaska State Legislature

News From The House Majority

Ken Freeman, Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801
phone: (907) 465-3804
web site: http://www.akrepublicans.org
Actuality line: 1-800-478-6540

House Acts to Curb Teen Smoking

For Immediate Release: May 10, 1997 Contact: Rep. Pete Kott (907) 465-3777

JUNEAU - Three measures to curb smoking among teens won approval by the Alaska House of Representatives early Saturday morning.

HB 159, sponsored by Representative Pete Kott, seeks to strengthens penalties against an establishment which knowingly sells tobacco products, raises the legal age to possess tobacco from 19 to 21 years old and increases the enforcement of tobacco sales and minors.

HB 189, by Representative John Cowdery, restricts the location and placement of tobacco products.

SB 13, by Senator Bert Sharp, increases the tobacco tax by 71 cents, bringing taxes on a package of cigarettes to $1.00 - one of the highest tobacco taxes in the nation.

HB 159 requires merchants to demand proof of age from any prospective purchaser who appears to be under twenty-seven years of age prior to the sale of tobacco products. It further requires all clerks involved in the retail sale of tobacco to sign an acknowledgment that they have been advised of this proof of age requirement.

HB 159 increases the penalty for both possession and illegal sale of tobacco to a mandatory minimum of $250 for the first offense, $500 for the second offense and $1000 for a third offense during a two-year period. Current law provides up to a $300 fine for the possession of tobacco and a fine of $300 for the illegal sale of tobacco.

"Under existing law, no one under 19 years of age is permitted to possess tobacco. We have included other provisions in HB 159 to limit access minors have to tobacco products," said Rep. Kott.

Representative John Cowdery, said HB 189 limits casual public access to tobacco products in retail stores and it increases the penalty for selling, or giving, tobacco to a minor.

HB 189 bans self service displays -- only the retail employee may control access to the tobacco products before the sale. Cowdery said this limits the availability of tobacco to teens employed in a store in which they would be handling tobacco.

"Through proper education, strong family values and proper enforcement of our laws, I feel this legislation is a small but proper step towards healthy children," said Cowdery.

SB 13 will be up for reconsideration vote and final passage Saturday afternoon.

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