The youths educate merchants about the dangers of selling tobacco products to minors.

LEWISTON – It’s illegal to sell tobacco products to minors, yet 3.4 million packs of cigarettes are bought or smoked by Maine youth each year – and Lewiston Regional Technical Center students are doing something about it.

The Marketing II class at Lewiston Regional Technical Center completed its first round of contacts in a tobacco merchant education project, which was made possible through a mini-grant that Healthy Androscoggin received from the Maine Coalition on Smoking or Health.

In this project, students educate merchants about the dangers of selling to minors, tobacco addiction, and the No BUTS! (Blocking Underage Tobacco Sales) program. The objective of NO BUTS!, which is sponsored by the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine and the State of Maine Department of the Attorney General, is to assist merchants with training, policy development, and adoption of responsible tobacco retail practices.

This is an opportunity to educate store owners and clerks on the impacts of tobacco use and empower them to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem of underage tobacco sales,” states John Archard, tobacco control officer in the Attorney General’s Office.

Not only has the Marketing II class at Lewiston Regional Technical Center contacted more than 40 area merchants to inform them of the statewide program, they have also learned vital marketing and business skills. Kevin Stilphen, the teacher leading this effort, looks forward to continuing the project next year and the students are excited to be making a difference in their community.

Healthy Androscoggin, with the help of Lewiston Regional Technical Center students, and the State of Maine Department of the Attorney General, hopes to host a countywide training for interested merchants in the fall.

“MCSOH believes this project will make a significant difference in merchant compliance with youth access laws in Androscoggin County, and we are really pleased to be able to fund it,” said Judy Dorsey, the policy analyst for Maine Coalition on Smoking or Health.

If anyone can thing of someone who is selling tobacco to a minor or would be interested in educational information about encouraging minors not to smoke or helping them quit, contact John Archard at 626-8827.

For more information on No BUTS, contact Healthy Androscoggin at (207) 795-5990.