Anti-tobacco group's sting targets clerks

The project, called Full Court Press, has been active for about a year and is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a philanthropic spin-off of Johnson & Johnson, said TPD Detective Skip Woodward.

"They gave us $3.8 million, my salary is being paid by a private foundation for five years on 'special assignment,'" Woodward said. "$5 million total came to Tucson with one mandate - to reduce tobacco use by teens 10 percent by the year 2000."

Woodward said that one month ago, the Full Court Press program started doing tobacco "sting" operations where a minor working for the police goes into a convenience store and attempts to buy cigarettes.

In mid-January, the operation targeted Circle K, 977 E. Speedway Blvd., and 7 Eleven, 1001 E. Speedway Blvd., both near the UA.

Clerks in both stores were cited for selling or furnishing tobacco to a minor. Representatives from Circle K and 7Eleven could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The violation is a petty offense that carries a $300 maximum fine, Woodward said. He said an alternative punishment is also available.

"The revenue that has been generated by the tobacco tax has gone towards an education class, and it's free," Woodward said.

Woodward said the violators can either pay the fine, contest it in court or take the free class.

The three-hour class is divided into an hour of education on the health results of smoking, an hour on the laws regarding tobacco sales and another hour on refusal skills, he said.

Woodward also said that the UA was given nearly $1 million to evaluate the Full Court Press program.

"We have gotten a contract to evaluate the Full Court Press project," said Hye-Ryeon Lee, principal investigator for the Full Court Press project evaluation and assistant research scientist at the Arizona Cancer Center. "They wanted us to evaluate whether they are producing results."

Lee said the study is multi-faceted. She said one of the biggest parts is a local school survey.

"We have already conducted one with over 7,000 students from grades seven, eight, 11 and 12, and we will do it again in 1998 and the year 2000," Lee said.

She said UA researchers are also talking to school administrators to find out what school policies state concerning tobacco use and how well the policies are enforced.