A Detroit television report has highlighted efforts to prevent underage access to tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, with Fox 2 reporter Ronia Shamona joining Doug Anderson, president of the WE CARD programme, to discuss practical safeguards for retailers and families.
The segment, published on Tuesday 22 September, focused on measures that go beyond simply checking identification at the till. Anderson outlined ways retailers can identify attempted underage purchases and refuse sales while reducing the risk of confrontation with customers.
Under United States federal law, retailers must not sell tobacco or vaping products to anyone under 21. The rules cover products containing nicotine from any source, including e-cigarettes, vape pens, e-liquids and nicotine pouches.
WE CARD advises retailers to check government-issued photo identification for anyone who appears to be under 30, every time they attempt to buy a regulated product. Staff are also trained to recognise invalid or expired identification and to decline a sale where the customer is underage or cannot provide suitable proof of age.
The organisation says the challenge is no longer limited to illegal sales in shops. Its recent awareness campaign has also focused on “social sourcing”, in which young people obtain tobacco or vaping products through friends, relatives or other adults who buy them on their behalf.
WE CARD, a national non-profit organisation, provides retailers with training courses, age-verification tools, in-store signage and guidance on handling difficult refusals. It said it has distributed more than 1.2 million educational kits since its launch in 1995, while continuing to update its materials as the market for nicotine products changes.
