Manitowoc retailers are doing their part to reduce the number of youth smokers.
During the second round of 2024 Wisconsin Wins compliance checks, 50 of the 51 tobacco sellers in Manitowoc County successfully refused to sell tobacco products to underage customers.
Wisconsin Wins is a statewide campaign that uses a science-based strategy to decrease youth access to tobacco products and help retailers avoid fines.
Brinn Holschbach, a Prevention Program Support worker at the Northeast Wisconsin Area Health Education Center, notes that the 98% compliance rate in the county “is a strong testament to the commitment of Manitowoc businesses in preventing youth tobacco use.”
It is also a big improvement over the 2022 score when 14% of the 42 inspections conducted resulted in a sale to an underage customer.
For comparison, in 2023, 11% of the 44 inspections conducted in Sheboygan County resulted in failures, 11% of the 19 businesses tested in Kewaunee County failed, and 11% of the 80 businesses tested in Brown County sold tobacco to underage customers.
