The head of the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Division says Iowa retailers were better at saying “no” to underage smokers last year. Lynn Walding says spot checks of tobacco sales showed 82-percent compliance among retailers.That compares to 63 percent two years ago. He says the state still has a long way to go to get 100 percent compliance.The latest numbers reflect checks done from the past fiscal year which ended June 30th. Walding says new checks are already underway. They attempted to check every retailer twice last year and he says should have no problem doing that this year, with possibly a few extra checks. Retailers caught selling tobacco to minors face a 300-dollar fine for the first offense and increasing penalties for additional violations.
