New technology will change the way tobacco retailers verify age
Effective Jan. 1, tobacco retailers are now required to use enhanced verification, like ID scanning, to help keep tobacco products out of the hands of youth.
The enhanced verification includes scanning technology or an automated software-based system to verify the age of anyone who is under 40 years old before they purchase tobacco products.
In 2021, revisions to Assembly Bill 360 passed, increasing the age required to buy tobacco products to 21, but the state is still seeing an epidemic of teens using tobacco products.
The additional legislation states that retailers now must undergo routine inspections pursuant to the existing statute which determines whether a retailer completes a sale of tobacco or tobacco-related products to a minor, resulting in a $100 fine for the first violation. Failure to use scanning or software technology will also result in an additional $100 fine, regardless of customer age.
According to the National Youth Tobacco Survey for 2022, 16.5 percent of high school students report currently using tobacco products.
The Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2019-2021 also found that 38.5 percent of highschool students reported that they thought it would be “Fairly/Very Easy” to get cigarettes if they wanted some.
According to the same 2019-2021 survey, about 48 percent of highschool students thought it would be “Fairly/Very Easy” to get electronic vapor products if they wanted some.
Lieutenant Jeff Murdock at the Winnemucca Police Department said that the department has received complaints about retailers selling tobacco products to minors in the community in the past, which is a civil violation and is addressed through collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office, in an email when asked about minors and tobacco.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that tobacco use is the number one cause for preventable disease, disability, and death.
Cessation programs, like My lIfe MyQuit- Nevada, are helping teens and kids to stop using tobacco. Their resources are easily and privately accessed through their website—https://nv.mylifemyquit.org/— or by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
Retailers should also consider visiting https://responsibletobacconv.com/ in order to understand and comply with both Nevada and federal laws pertaining to the sale of tobacco products. The training could help retailers protect their business, employees, and local youth.