(Radio Iowa) – A study of the Food and Drug Administration tobacco compliance checks in Iowa from 2017 to 2023 found about seven percent of inspections resulted in violations. Many inspections were suspended during the pandemic and violations spiked in 2021 to more than ten percent. University of Iowa assistant professor of pediatrics Tony Fischer says the spike is a concern.  “This is a weak point in in terms of our ability to prevent tobacco use. If it’s really accessible, then it makes it easier for people to try it. And if they try it, they might get addicted,” Fischer says.

The study found tobacco and vape shops, liquor stores and some gas station chains had the highest number of violations. “It’s likely that that we need to do more surveillance to keep retailers honest and not sell tobacco to underage persons,” he says.

The study says federal penalties to retailers totaled nearly 153-thousand dollars in the seven years, while tobacco marketing in Iowa exceeds 100 million dollars annually.