RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia officials say retailers continue to ensure they’re not selling tobacco to minors. An annual statewide survey indicates that 91 percent of retailers inspected did not sell tobacco products to youth under the age of 18 during the latest survey. The inspection program is a federal mandate requiring each state to document that the rate of tobacco sales to minors is no more than 20 percent at the risk losing millions in federal funds for alcohol and other drug abuse prevention and treatment services. It is named for late U.S. Rep. Mike Synar of Oklahoma. The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services says it has been compliant with the federal inspection program soon after the program was enacted in the mid-1990s.
