Marblehead scores 80 percent in tobacco compliance

MARBLEHEAD-The town has achieved an 80 percent compliance rate in a tobacco sales check this spring, conducted by the North Shore Tobacco Control Program n but another tobacco problem may be looming on the horizon.Under-age youths visited 10 local stores that sell tobacco on Monday, March 8, under the supervision of Program Director Joyce Redford, and tried to buy tobacco products without showing identification. They failed at eight stores and succeeded at two.As a result the White Hen Pantry at the Village Plaza and the Little (Red) Store at 9 Green St. were each fined $100 for a violation of a town bylaw forbidding the sale of tobacco to a minor.Redford noted one other statistic in a report to Director of Public Health Wayne Attridge and the Board of Health.The sting also included sales of tobacco blunt wraps. These commercially-produced wraps are similar to cigarette rolling paper but they are made from tobacco leaves.There are four Marblehead stores that sell these wraps.Redford noted that the wraps “are specifically geared toward the use of marijuana and classified as OTP?s (other tobacco products).”She and the teenagers visited all four stores and were able to purchase wraps at two of them – a 50 percent compliance rate on that product.