Meeker County tobacco retailers recently received a thumbs up for giving the red light to underage smokers.

All 22 Meeker County establishments licensed to sell tobacco passed a compliance check in the past year. The check, conducted by the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office and Meeker County Public Health, is an unannounced investigation to determine whether retailers are selling tobacco to underage youth.

“The purpose of the compliance checks are to ensure that establishments are in compliance with age-of-sales laws and, ultimately, to reduce the illegal sale of tobacco to minors,” said Laura Lindeman, a health educator with Meeker County Public Health.

The 1997 Minnesota Youth Access to Tobacco Law requires unannounced compliance checks by minors at least once a calendar year at every establishment where tobacco is sold. In a check, a minor enters a establishment and attempts to purchase a tobacco product.

Establishments that fail the checks are fined $75; clerks selling the tobacco to a minor also receive a $50 fine.

Litchfield tobacco retailers were not included in the check since the Litchfield Police Department conducts its own checks, according to Lindeman.

Read more in the July 10 Independent Review on newsstands now.