It all started with a simple question.

Paul Ream's 9-year-old daughter returned home one day last fall after participating in her school's DARE program. She learned both alcohol and tobacco were classified as drugs, and she wondered about the presence of alcohol and tobacco products sitting on the family's grocery store shelves. This knowledge prompted her to ask her father: "Why do you sell drugs?"

When Ream was faced with his daughter's inquiry, he knew something had to be done; that "something" involved pulling all alcohol and tobacco products from the store's shelves and inventory in September 2007.

Six months later, the store continues to be recognized for Ream's choice.

On Saturday, Assistant Store Director Hyrum Oaks stood within the store's entrance, accepting an award on behalf of Ream's for being tobacco-free. Sponsored by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Utah, the Utah County Health Department and the Outrage Anti-Tobacco Youth Group, the award was the first one given of its kind in Utah County, making last fall's decision more momentous.

"It was scary, but we don't regret it," Oaks said of the September event.

The decision to remove alcohol and tobacco products may not sound risky in Utah, but there were consequences Oaks said. Staying in nearby hotels, out-of-town visitors who previously frequented the store had to find other sources for alcohol and cigarettes.

Despite the loss of some business, Oaks said the decision hasn't hurt the store financially.

"We may have lost a few customers, but we had some new people come out and support us," Oaks said.

Reams Family Foods has made a great step in moving toward a tobacco-free Utah, said Tyler Plewe, Utah County health promotion program manager for tobacco prevention. The store now provides a family-friendly environment for customers. And beyond preventing children from being exposed to alcohol and tobacco, Reams Family Foods is a great place for people overcoming addiction to shop, Plewe said.

"We hope that it will inspire other business owners ... to develop smoke-free policies," said Carrie Bennett, tobacco prevention program specialist for the Utah County Health Department.

Day's Market, another local grocery store, has also pulled tobacco and alcohol products from its shelves. But this trend has not been merely a Utah phenomenon. A grocery chain in New York is following suit.

"It's a nationwide movement," Plewe said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 3 Mar 2008