Program Mission: To reduce retailer violations of the law prohibiting the sale and distribution of tobacco products to persons under the age of 21 through vendor education and working in conjunction with law enforcement to enforce those laws effectively.

 

In July 1992, Congress enacted the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration Reorganization Act (P.L. 103-321) which included an amendment (Section 1926) aimed at decreasing access to tobacco products among individuals under the legal age to purchase. The Synar Amendment was named after Congressman Mike Synar (b. 1950 - d.1996) from Oklahoma.  The Synar Amendment requires that each state annually conduct random, unannounced inspections of a sample of tobacco vendors to assess their compliance with the State’s access law. An acceptable compliance rate is 20% or less for the State of Michigan.

 

What are the penalties for noncompliance rate of over 20%?

The penalty for a State is a loss of up to 40 percent of its Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant funds. This penalty could present a severe problem for a State.

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Substance use, prevention, treatment, and mental health program in our county rely on the funding that comes from SAPT Block Grant. Please consider this when you see a merchant sell tobacco products to a minor and report it by calling SOOAR at 734-697-9511. Together we can make a difference.

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For more information on Federal Synar legislation, download the Synar Inititiave Synopsis on this page, or visit: https://www.samhsa.gov/synar