Nevada’s Annual Synar Report for FFY 2024
Nevada 2024 Annual Synar Report (ASR):
By receiving Federal funds from the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services (SUPTRS) block grant administered by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency), Nevada is required to report on its efforts to keep tobacco products from being sold to people under 21 years of age, as outlined in the Synar Amendment within the block grant. Nevada is also required through the Synar Amendment to keep its Retail Violation Rate (RVR) under 20% annually. The RVR is the percentage of tobacco retailers in the state that have failed onsite inspections, being found to have sold or attempted to sell tobacco products to minors. The RVR for the past year is 13.5%, as reflected in our most recent data..
Underage Tobacco Use in Nevada
Among Nevada high school students, 12% have reported using a tobacco product, and 43% have reported using E-vapor products. Among Nevada middle school students, 19% reported using E-vapor products in 2017.
Source: Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency 2018 Epidemiologic Profile, November 2018
It is anticipated that the number of Nevada youth who use tobacco will increase in step with a nationwide epidemic. According to results from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in 2018, over 3.6 million youth used e-cigs, making them the most commonly used tobacco product. The survey results show that there were alarming increases in the current use of any tobacco product among both middle and high school students between 2017 and 2018, primarily because of an increase in e-cigarette use.
About the Synar Program
In July 1992, Congress enacted the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration Reorganization Act (PL 102-321), which includes an amendment (section 1926) aimed at decreasing youth access to tobacco. This amendment, named for its sponsor, Congressman Mike Synar of Oklahoma, requires states (that is, all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and six Pacific jurisdictions) to enact and enforce laws prohibiting the sale or distribution of tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18. For more information regarding the Synar regulation, refer to the Tobacco Regulation for Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant – Final Rule – 1996 (PDF | 260 KB).
Nevada must comply with the Synar Amendment and show a retail violation rate of under 20% to receive the full Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant awards.
The Bureau of Behavioral Health Wellness and Prevention complies with the Synar amendment by implementing regulations: to enact and enforce laws, conduct inspections and report findings. This includes conducting random, unannounced inspections of tobacco outlets and reporting the annual Synar survey findings to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by December 31 of each year.
The Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant is used to fund Synar programs for the development of sample design, costs to conduct inspections, costs to train and pay inspectors, travel costs, and other Synar-related items such as merchant education and community education.
Enforcement is funded through the Fund for Healthy Nevada, derived from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, and enforced through the Office of the Nevada Attorney General, Tobacco Enforcement Unit.
Merchant Education
The Nevada Responsible Tobacco Sales Training is a collaborative initiative between the State of Nevada’s Tobacco Control Program, the Bureau of Behavioral Health Wellness and Prevention, local health authorities, and community coalitions. This partnership facilitates projects to address youth tobacco use by preventing the sale of tobacco to minors within the State of Nevada with a merchant education tool as a primary focus. The merchant education tool is offered free of charge and may be found on the Responsible Tobacco Nevada website: https://responsibletobacconv.com/
The Federal Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, also regulates tobacco products and enforces the Tobacco Control Act by giving industry education and training, monitoring the industry’s compliance with the law, and taking action when necessary. More information may be found on the FDA website: https://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/default.htm