Full Notification

Larkspur, CA – September 5, 2018. The Central Marin Police Authority has been awarded $125,352 in state grant funding from California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to combat the illegal sale of cigarettes and tobacco products to minors. The grants, $37.5 million in total, were distributed to 71 local agencies throughout the State. They will fund operations, retailer training programs, the installation of signage, youth outreach, tobacco retail license inspections, training for sworn personnel, and other activities.

"Tobacco remains a very serious public health concern,” said Attorney General Becerra. “These grants will provide additional tools to law enforcement to help educate kids about the dangers of smoking. The grants will also help local communities enforce laws against selling tobacco products to minors. These grants are an important step toward reducing illegal sales and building a healthier California.”

CMPA will work with their Marin County Law Enforcement partners and create a multi-agency task force to conduct tobacco retailer inspections and “shoulder tap” operations, as well as tobacco-related enforcement operations targeting areas where minors are likely to be present. Additional grant objectives include developing a retailer diversion program for tobacco-related violations, roll-call training, and funding to assist schools, parks, and other places where minors gather with detecting and preventing the use of vaping devices.

Proposition 56 (Prop. 56), the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016, was approved by voters in November 2016. Effective April 2017, it raised the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with an equivalent increase on other tobacco products. Prop. 56 specifically allocates $30 million of revenue to be distributed annually by the California Department of Justice to local law enforcement agencies for the support and hiring of peace officers for various activities, including investigations intended to reduce the illegal sale of tobacco products to minors.

This year’s Prop. 56 grant recipients will use the state dollars to fund different anti-smoking campaigns and projects including new training and educational materials for officers and tobacco sellers to reduce illegal sales of tobacco products to minors, and law enforcement operations targeted at retailers selling to minors. The recipients include various cities, counties, school districts and sheriff/police departments throughout the State.