Bulls and Dannevirke tobacco retailers fail undercover operations

Two tobacco retailers sold cigarettes to a teenager during recent tobacco controlled purchase operations (CPOs) carried out by MidCentral District Health Board’s (MDHB) Public Health Service. The retailers were Mobil Bulls in Bulls and Good Value $2 Shop in Dannevirke. Both sellers were issued with $500 infringement fines from the Ministry of Health.

MDHB Smoke-free Enforcement Officer Brett Munro congratulated the nineteen retailers in Taihape, Marton, Bulls, Pahiatua, Woodville and Dannevirke who did not sell to an underage volunteer, and encouraged all retailers to ask for ID if they were unsure. “Don’t rely on appearance. If they look under 25, ask for ID,” he said. “Smoking causes early death in 50 per cent of smokers, and eradicating the sale of tobacco to minors is an important step towards achieving a Smoke-free Aotearoa by 2025.”

In the last six months, MDHB’s Public Health Service carried out CPOs throughout the Whanganui and MidCentral regions. Seventy nine retailers were visited, resulting in five retailers selling to a volunteer. Each of the five sellers received a $500 infringement fine from the Ministry of Health. The retailers that received an infringement included a dairy, two service stations, a $2 shop and a tobacconist.

If you retail tobacco and would like more information on compliance with the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 or have concerns about retailers selling tobacco to minors (under 18’s), please contact a Smoke-free Enforcement Officer by phoning the MDHB Public Health Service on 06 350 9110.

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