Underage Iowans are getting their hands on fewer cigarettes, according to the latest statewide survey.Compliance checks were made at more than 23-hundred retailers across Iowa. Lynn Walding, who oversees Iowa’s tobacco enforcement program, says he’s pleased with the results.The checks found 79-percent of retailers were in compliance and not selling smokes to minors. That compares to the survey last summer that found 67 percent were complying. Lynn Walding, who is administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division, says the situation will continue to improve as Iowa switches to vertical drivers licenses for anyone under 18. He says retailers believe those licenses will make a big improvement in reducing the sales of tobacco to minors.The new licenses will be phased in starting July first. Walding thinks Iowa can reach at least 90-percent compliance within a matter of months.
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