Police say a new underage smoking law allows officers to ticket any minor possessing tobacco products.

Previous laws allowed police officers to target tobacco sellers who sold to minors, but not the underage smokers themselves. Now, a new law says it is illegal for minors to possess tobacco. Fairfield Police Sgt. James Perez says officers can go after minors possessing cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Minors who possess tobacco face a $50 fine for the first offense and a $100 fine for each additional offense. Perez says the law also affects stores that sell to minors.

?In the past, the fine for a store owner to sell to a minor has been between $50 and $150,? Perez says. ?That's been bumped way up to $350 for the first offense and $500 for every subsequent offense.?

Perez says the police department will count on high school resource officers to help enforce the law.