McGee said PACE wants to give youthful smokers a meaningful amount of information in one session. Walding said Des Moines and several other cities are putting together programs to get students off tobacco. One of the leaders is Dubuque. Officer Steve Eastvedt said police have tried to bolster prevention efforts by issuing tickets to minors with tobacco products. Like Polk County, Dubuque has a class for young smokers.
Students attend with a parent and get the charge dismissed if they successfully complete the course.
Dubuque officers have been checking area businesses to see which ones are selling tobacco products to persons under 18. When they started about five years ago, compliance was running at about 66 percent. Now compliance is closer to 90 percent, police said. Des Moines police have been enforcing no-smoking laws near schools for years, said Assistant Chief Douglas Nichols. Enforcement has become more efficient now that officers are back in the schools.