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Sept. 13, 2006

Mayor Lauds High Compliance Rate, State-Local Partnership

Woodbridge Township has received an $8,820 grant from the New Jersey State Department of Health toward a campaign to prevent the sale of tobacco products to underage persons, Interim MayorJoseph F. Vitale announced today.

This is the tenth consecutive year Woodbridge has received a state grant to operate a Tobacco Age of Sale Enforcement Program (TASE). The innovative program focuses enforcement efforts to discourage the sale and/or commercial distribution of tobacco products to persons under the age of 19. The program is paid for entirely through funds from the Federal/State Tobacco Settlement Fund.

“We are committed to keeping tobacco products out of the hands of our children,” says Mayor Vitale. “This program has helped us achieve success in that area, and thanks to the state grant, we do not have to spend local taxpayers’ money.”

During the 2005 TASE inspection cycle, Woodbridge achieved a 94% compliance rate in visits by investigators to 84 retail establishments. It was the eighth year in a row in which the Township achieved a compliance rate of 94% or higher.

“The high compliance rate among merchants is a sign that the overall anti-smoking message is gaining ground,” says Dennis Green, Director of the Township’s Health and Human Services Department. “It is an excellent first step in helping us continue reducing the rate of tobacco use among young people in Woodbridge.”

The TASE Program sends underage youth participants into randomly selected retail establishments in an attempt to purchase tobacco products. The youths are recruited from local high schools, undergo training by Health Department Personnel and are under supervision of a licensed health inspector. Each year, approximately 100 Township retail establishments receive TASE visits.

Merchants who illegally sell tobacco products to a youth or who do not display the mandatory age of sale signage automatically receive a court summons. Those found guilty are fined $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second offense and $1000 plus a suspension of their state tobacco license for a third offense.

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