An annual survey reported the fourth consecutive increase in illegal sales of tobacco to minors in Hawai'i and the largest increase since the state began recording such data in 1996.

Statewide, 11.2 percent of 304 stores surveyed sold tobacco to those under age 18 in violation of state law, according to results released yesterday by the Health Department's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division and Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona. That compares to 8.7 percent in 2007.

But Honolulu was the only county out of the four surveyed to actually show an increase. Illegal sales in all other counties declined, with the survey finding no violations in Maui and Kaua'i counties.

This year's 2.5 percentage point increase brings the state above the national average of 10.5 percent.

Aiona, speaking at a press conference yesterday at the state Capitol, called the results "troubling." He said stores have developed a lax attitude toward checking for IDs and asking customers for their ages.

"This is not acceptable," Aiona said. "We, as a state, need to be more vigilant and make sure that we are not selling cigarettes to our underage minors. But more importantly, we have to be committed to this policy."

Of the clerks who did not ask for age or ID, nearly 90 percent sold tobacco to minors, according to the survey.

Aiona called on store clerks and merchants to ask anyone who looks younger than 30 for their ID.

The survey, conducted jointly with the University of Hawai'i Cancer Research Center, involved teams of volunteers ages 15 to 17, and adult observers who visited randomly selected stores statewide during a two-week period in April. The program requires the teens to carry valid ID, be honest and be under the supervision of an undercover police officer.

"We need to strategize within the department to see how we're going to address that (the increase) in a more aggressive and effective way," said Keith Yamamoto, chief of the state Department of Health's Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, who noted the department's concern about the general health of children in Hawai'i and the dangers of smoking tobacco.

State law allows for any clerk selling tobacco to a minor to be fined $500, and as much as $2,000 for subsequent violations, Aiona said, adding that state officials may consider tougher sanctions against store owners.

Meanwhile, a separate survey found that the rate of smoking among students in grades nine through 12 continues to decline in Hawai'i.

The state's teen smoking rate is among the lowest in the nation, with 12.8 percent of high school students reporting they had smoked a cigarette within the last 30 days. The national average is 20 percent.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS